During their Colorado tenure, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter were labeled ‘overrated,’ as critics often argued they were products of media oversaturation. They were called out for theatrics, but little did anyone know how the two athletes were using the money they got through their popularity. Not to increase their brand, but to support their teammates.

“Shedeur Sanders was spending his check helping pay other people’s NILs. Him and Travis Hunter. And that’s what a lot of people don’t know,” Deion Sanders Jr. revealed during his Friday appearance on the Mr_Organik YouTube channel. “They would donate their own money that they would get from endorsements, like real NIL’s meant to get real endorsements. Use your name, image, and likeness to get legit, real endorsements. Like you see people on commercials on TV and stuff.”

“So, Travis and Shedeur were some of the only people that had that. You know, you had the Heisman winners who had the Dr. Pepper commercials and stuff, but not a lot of people had real legit NILs,” continued Deion Jr. “Even to this day, a lot of people don’t have that. They just have the school, whatever is behind the donor fund. They just have that, giving the people money.”

And while the media was scrutinizing everything that Shedeur and Travis did on the field, no one cared to highlight how they impacted the program. It wasn’t just reflected in their historic 9-4 season. Behind the scenes, the duo made the roster possible.

“That’s not what NIL was originally created for. It was originally using your name, image, and likeness. Now, it’s just a fund or whatever. A collective is giving these kids money to go,” said the son of the Colorado head coach. “But Travis and Shedeur, with their real NIL deals, their real deals with Celsius, with Nike, with Gatorade, with whatever, they would use that money and help pay other people’s NILs that come to Colorado. So, they was actually funding some of the NIL fund that we have with their own money.”

During his career in Boulder, Travis Hunter’s NIL valuation reached a peak of $5.7 million, and he used his personal, massive corporate endorsement checks to become one of Colorado’s top individual donors. He even refused to take a single cent from Colorado’s 5430 Alliance NIL collective after his Heisman-winning run, ensuring lesser-known players on the roster were financially supported.

Meanwhile, Shedeur boasted the highest overall NIL valuation in CFB, peaking at over $6.5 million, but gave a percentage of his immense personal earnings straight back into Colorado’s collective.

“It’s basically setting them up for success, and everything in my power I personally can do, I’m going to do. I’m going to donate to the collective, for sure. It’s a tax write-off,” said Shedeur. “So yeah, I’ll donate to the collective so I’ll make sure we have a super team next year.”

Former Colorado stars’ massive NIL fortunes

Shedeur owned two Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 SUVs valued at roughly $200,000 each following his partnership with Mercedes-Benz. Then, he kept one and gifted the second Maybach to his star OL, Jordan Seaton. On the flip side, Travis Hunter secured a lifted Ford Ranger through a regional dealership deal. However, he spent $130,000 to buy his partner, Leanna Lenee, a customized Tesla Model X.

To surprise his mother, Hunter used a chunk of his NIL fortune by purchasing her a dream home in Savannah, Georgia. He even purchased a luxury home in Colorado. However, Shedeur invested in Swiss horology, and his viral watches are living proof of that.

And all of these were highlighted by the media to point out their lavish lifestyles. But both Shedeur and Travid did their best to support their teammates as well. Remember all the narratives about Shedeur being a bad leader? That stuff needs a little correction, given what he did for the Buffs.