Warren Sapp made headlines this offseason as he stepped into his new role as the Colorado Buffs’ pass rush coordinator. His daughter, Mercedes Sapp, has been making waves in a different arena—off the field and behind the scenes. While her Hall of Fame father fine-tunes edge defenders, Mercedes has been quietly crafting something special in the ever-evolving world of college athletics. And now, her efforts at the University of South Florida are paying off in a big way, both in trophies and in purpose.

Mercedes Sapp, the Coordinator of Student-Athlete Enhancement and NIL Engagement at USF, has turned what many see as administrative work into a launchpad for long-term student-athlete empowerment. She’s been in this role since fall 2022, and her impact stretches far beyond compliance paperwork or promotional seminars. Mercedes oversees the Personal Enhancement pillar, a multifaceted focus area that includes personal identity development, values, well-being, and career transitions.

She’s also instrumental in driving NIL education, DEI initiatives, personal branding strategies, and financial literacy programming. Those areas don’t usually grab headlines—but this time, they did.

Under her watch, USF’s women’s baseball program just clinched the 2025 AAC championship. Mercedes, not one to boast, let her celebration be known with three simple words on her Instagram story that spoke volumes: “YES YES YES.” For someone so deeply rooted in personal growth and professional development, this moment meant more than a title. It was a culmination of everything she’s poured into her student-athletes—structure, support, identity, and opportunity.

But Mercedes Sapp isn’t new to athletic excellence. In 2019, she earned her Master’s degree in the Science of Communication Management with a leadership emphasis from the University of North Florida. And before her career behind the scenes took shape, she was a force on the field herself. Daughter Sapp also made a big NIL announcement earlier when the USF’s women’s soccer players went to attend their “Leveling the Playing Field: The Future of Women’s NIL” event that took place on April 4th.

As a goalkeeper for USF’s Division I women’s soccer team, Sapp shattered ceilings and records alike. In 2020, she became the first player in school history to earn the Goalkeeper of the Year award. She started all 16 games that season, holding a staggering .823 save percentage and racking up eight shutouts—a single-season D1-era record for the program. Her resume grew with First Team All-ASUN honors, a spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-South Region second team, and two ASUN Defensive Player of the Week awards. She didn’t just play—she dominated. Her story was already worth telling before she even stepped off the pitch.

And it didn’t start at USF, either. Before making her mark in Jacksonville, Mercedes spent three seasons at the University of Missouri, developing her game and soaking up the rigors of elite-level soccer. But legacy runs in her blood. Her mother, Jamiko Sapp, played soccer as well, creating a multi-generational thread through the sport. Meanwhile, her brother, Warren Sapp II, is continuing the family tradition on the gridiron as a collegiate football player at Florida Atlantic University. There’s something in the Sapp DNA—high performance is the family language, whether it’s spoken in cleats, gloves, or chalkboards. Also, bold opinions run in the Sapp family.

Like father, like daughter: Warren Sapp & Mercedes

Known as “QB Killa,” Pro Football Hall-of-Famer and CU coach Warren Sapp is bringing that same loud intensity off the field, now squarely into Florida courtrooms and county meetings. He’s wading knee-deep into a legal and public drama that all kicked off back in February 2024. While on a charity ride from Miami, Sapp was part of a luxury convoy clocked doing over 100 mph by deputies. Things reportedly blew up at a gas station stop when Sapp allegedly refused to identify himself. That move, caught clearly on body cam, spiraled into a chaotic arrest and now, a massive $20 million lawsuit—though the reported offer back is currently just $3,500.

Making his first public return to Florida since the incident, Sapp didn’t hold back at a tense Okeechobee County meeting, snapping at officials and directly telling Commission Chair David Hazellief, “Sir, you are the definition of abu-e of power…” But the spotlight in the Sapp family isn’t just on Warren’s court battles right now. His daughter, Mercedes Sapp, also known as Cede, recently grabbed attention for a different kind of bold move.

Forget the usual NIL buzz; Mercedes was focused on Senator Cory Booker’s incredible 25-hour and 5-minute speech protesting certain administration policies. Booker stood the entire time, speaking continuously, surpassing a decades-old record, and came armed with over 1,100 pages of material. By the end, his marathon speech had gone viral online, gaining huge traction and followers, despite the physical toll it took on him.

Seeing Booker’s remarkable endurance and purpose, Mercedes took to her Instagram story to share her reaction. She drew a sharp parallel to a dramatic moment from the popular TV show “Scandal,” specifically referencing Mellie Grant’s filibuster fight for women’s rights on the Senate floor. Mercedes posted, “For those who watched Scandal. THIS IS THE LIVE ACTION OF MELLIE FITZ FIGHTING FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS… and she WON after being there for hours, but not 24. I needed this, thank you Senator Booker.”

By drawing this comparison, Mercedes pointed out that, just like the fictional Mellie, Senator Booker showed immense courage and dedication, standing up for something he believed in over an exhausting period. Looks like Mercedes, much like her famous dad in his own way, is definitely not afraid to share her opinion and use her platform.