“I want to be part of that history, and more, I want to be part of that future. I am making this decision so that I can light the way for others to follow.” The pages of college football history started to be rewritten as Travis Hunter announced his shock commitment to Jackson State for Coach Prime back in December 2021. It was the first time an FCS program roped in a 5 star recruit, at least since ESPN started giving rankings in 2006. But that wasn’t the only contribution that Deion Sanders had to FCS and HBCU programs. When Coach Prime joined Jackson State in 2020, he was already a national figure, amassed significant wealth. But at Jackson State, things were different.

Coach Prime drew just $300,000 per year as a salary from Jackson State and even donated half his salary to the HBCU for renovating its stadium. And guess what? Former Eagles WR DeSean Jackson followed Deion Sanders’ path and has become the head coach of Delaware State, an HBCU. Jackson’s inspiration? “I respect (Coach) Prime so much. Because I feel like he’s more to me, he’s more of a leader of men, and you know his intelligence is smart….And I just followed the blueprint that Big Bro put down,” said Jackson about Coach Prime’s influence on his decision. And now? Jackson has supported Shedeur Sanders’ stance on his father, too.

Shedeur Sanders is struggling hard to find reps as he is trying to climb the ladder in the Browns’ QB camp. It is hard for now, with first team reps being scarce and Shedeur forced to even throw to the equipment staff. And that is the major reason why the QB doesn’t want his father to come watch his practice. ” I don’t want him (Deion Sanders) coming to see me right now because I want to get to where I want to go in for him to see me. I don’t want him to come and see me, get a couple reps, and he’s tearing like a good dad, nah. You can’t be proud of me right now, I gotta get to where I’m going,” said Shedeur, and showed incredible resilience even when he was the fifth QB in the Browns QB room. Shedeur did get an endorsement from DeSean Jackson, however.

“Respect, young homie,” wrote Jackson on his IG story as he posted Shedeur’s interview video, too. Jackson’s stance is probably the most raw emotion that a football fan would feel right now. Shedeur is currently the fifth QB behind others like Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Deshaun Watson, and that has led to the wide receivers being stretched thin for Shedeur to get enough first-team reps.

Even in that adversity, the QB is showing calmness and incredible grit, which shows the level of hard work Shedeur is ready to put in. Moreover, another reason why the QB doesn’t want his father at practices is to avoid unnecessary media coverage, which his father brings with him, as he calls being Coach Prime’s son both a “gift and a curse at the same time.” Now, despite Shedeur being resilient, some injury concerns have surfaced for him.

Shedeur Sanders pushes through dark times in battle for QB spot

Shedeur has been making a lot of buzz in the media ever since coming to Cleveland. While he was stepping into a new chapter of his football career, his father, Deion Sanders, was quietly fighting a life-threatening battle with cancer. For Shedeur, balancing his NFL with the emotional toll of watching his father endure such a fight added a layer of pressure and maturity that most rookies don’t face. But despite that, the young QB has kept his head down and instead focuses on what he is given.

In this short time, we have seen Shedeur showing unmatched professionalism and not attracting any media controversy with his statements. Looks like Shedeur won’t stop without taking that QB1 spot. And he might be having his dream come true sooner rather than later. The Browns’ QB room already has Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson battling injuries, and that list is now also joined by the former Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel. According to the latest reports, all three QBs are expected to sit out the preseason game versus the Carolina Panthers as Gabriel and Pickett both developed lingering hamstring issues. Shedeur Sanders, too, developed some injury concerns, but it isn’t too concerning for him.

Sanders was kept out of the August 2 team drills due to some minor injury concerns. Kevin Stefanski described the issues being “not severe,” and that may be a catalyst for Shedeur to prove his worth now, with both Gabriel and Pickett out of action for now. Even Shedeur looked ready for that challenge and called it a “consistent battle,” signaling his intent to at least seal that QB2 spot.