Deion Sanders losing his whole squad? That’s gotta sting. This season for the Buffs has been a rollercoaster, going from a 4-8 to a 9-3 record and turning every hater into a believer. They’ve come a long way, no cap. Now, with all of his senior players heading to the NFL, Coach Prime’s in full ‘proud dad’ mode. Why not? He has built a Heisman winner, a Johnny Unitas winner, and a team that is eligible for a bowl game. That’s enough to prove his worth. But beyond all this, the year is extra emotional for him.

This year’s Colorado football senior day was special for Deion Sanders. Prior to Colorado’s regular-season finale against Oklahoma State, Coach Prime walked his sons Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders across the field at Folsom Field during the Buffaloes’ senior day ceremony last month. “Tough man. I can’t even explain the emotions,” Deion Sanders told ABC’s Quint Kessenich of walking his sons. “It was tough. It’s kind of emotional. Last time at home with several of my kids and my seniors. It’s tough. Tough on a coach who loves his kids,” Coach Prime said. But surprisingly, Shilo doesn’t seem to care much.

With his recent gesture, it feels like Shilo is just waiting for his moment to dip, step out of his dad’s shadow, and carve his own path. In a conversation with Deion Sanders Jr., Shilo Sanders made a bold statement on how it feels to move away from Boulder. You might be surprised, but you’ll probably chuckle when you hear the answer. Well, let’s cut short the drama! When Deion Sanders Jr. pointed the camera at him, he said, “It feels great” in response to all the changes coming his way. Classic Shilo.

But unlike Shilo Sanders, the rest of us are pretty sad about the whole thing. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter leaving Boulder are the toughest things Deion Sanders and the Buffs have to go through. But it turns out Coach Prime doesn’t look at it that way. When Deion Sanders Jr. asked him how he felt about Shedeur and Shilo’s last practice, he replied with a heavy heart, saying, “Probably a couple that we don’t know about jumping the border, but we already know, but we apparently will know good. I didn’t think about it that last stuff….I’m more excited about the new beginning.”

Even Shedeur Sanders looked quite dwelled up with all the changes that were going to come his way. “Feel thankful, man; blessed. You know it’s time at hand: practice, practice, practice in this building, and now you know it comes to hand,” he said. Everyone else is pumped, feeling grateful, and excited for the new ‘NFL’ chapter. Shilo’s feeling the same vibe but in his own goofy, chirpy way. But let’s be real. Will his NFL journey be a walk in the park?

Shilo Sanders has long been eligible for the NFL, but COVID gave him an extra year of eligibility as he redshirted himself at South Carolina, which makes it 2. Moreover, if we combine all his stats over the years, it doesn’t scream Legendary. His career stats from South Carolina to Colorado make it a total of 176 tackles, 6 forced fumbles, and 6 interceptions. That’s not exceptional. Interestingly, though Shilo seems to navigate on his own, there has been widespread talks about the possibility of Deion Sanders taking up a coaching job in the NFL.

Troy Aikman, Sanders’ teammate from 1996 to 1999 in the Dallas Cowboys, during an interview with TMZ Sports, had said that he believed there’s still a path for the Cowboys to persuade Sanders to leave CU if their head-coaching job open up.

“I do know that Jerry, he’s a world-class marketer. Deion is obviously not far behind that, and I think if you were to put the two together, it would be quite interesting. I think there’s some compelling reasons as to why Jerry might have an interest. But I do know that Deion’s done a great job there in Boulder, and when he says, ‘Hey, I’ve put the kickstand down,’ that’s simply alerting everyone that if you want him, you’re going to have to pay for it, which is not a surprise either. I do think that Deion could be enticed, especially with his son moving on and going to the NFL. [Kickstands] are not welded to the ground; you can raise them” Aikman said.

Meanwhile, Cowboys athletic director Rick George told a local reporter his goal is to keep Sanders in Boulder for as long as possible. However, Deion himself does not seem to be interested in shifting bases. On the latest episode of the Pacman Jones Show, Sanders boldly claimed, “I love where I am; I am happy where I am. I can’t wait to see what the future holds where I am. I love Boulder, Colorado. I have every intention, every plan in the world to be coaching for the Colorado buffs from here on. I want to finish here. I want to put my name on the mountains out there; I want to put my flag down in Colorado.” However, that does not stop him backing his boys against all the odds.

Deion Sanders rooting for Shilo Sanders’ future

Shilo Sanders had his own struggles this season, whether it’s his performance, health, or mental sanity. First, he missed weeks of games due to a broken forearm, the result of an injury sustained playing against Nebraska. Then, even when he made a return to the team, he couldn’t live up to the expectations Coach Prime and fans had on him. And his performance against the Jayhawks is the perfect example of it. Multiple penalties and sacks made it worse for him.

But even with a short-lived season, Shilo Sanders successfully smacked 67 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, and 1 interception this season. However, the question is still the same: Will this help him land a better team in the NFL? There are speculations that even Shilo might be a first-round pick with Shedeur and Travis. But then that’s far from reality; even Coach Prime knows it.

While having a conversation with Raider’s head coach Antonio Pierce, Sanders made a bold claim, saying, “You are truly the best. Now I just need you to do one thing: I need you to draft those Sanders boys.” Coach Prime made it clear that it’s the Raiders for both Shedeur and Shilo, and it doesn’t matter if Shedeur is the first guy and Shilo follows him in the next round. We all know players can’t control who drafts them, but when you have a father who is Deion Sanders, that’s really not the case.

For Shedeur Sanders, it’s really not a matter of concern. But for Shilo, this transfer feels like a career booster. Let’s be real, his stats aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire. He’s probably looking at a Day 3 draft pick right now. So, what’s the plan for the Sanders boy?