Imagine the pickle Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes would be in if they lost one of their best defensive players for an extended period after losing a huge number of players in the spring portal! There had been rumors flying around about the Buffs’ safety Shilo Sanders hinting that he could be on the sidelines for six months. But is it true?

Sports Illustrated recently reported that Shilo Sanders is “expected to be out for the start off the season after surgery to repair damage in his shoulder.” SI also credits BuffsBeat for the source. But after the news rattled the internet, another source came up with another claim from a different angle. 

Will Shilo Sanders undergo a 6-month sideline season?

After Shilo Sanders was believed to have suffered a shoulder injury, a source close to the Buffs revealed the other side of the story claiming that they’ve been in contact with the 24-year-old subject himself. As posted by NoSkoZone on X, Buffs fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the rumors are reportedly false. The post reads, “I just confirmed with Shilo Sanders that this article (from SI) is completely false.”

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Shilo Sanders didn’t proclaim himself as the CEO of Headache Gang for no reason. He’s a prominent player in the Buffs’ defense who likes to keep his playing style “aggressive” and make “head hurt.” In his last season in Boulder, he recorded 54 tackles and three PDUs, including a pick-six against CSU. If the false report claim is true, the Buffs Nation can celebrate as it means that they have one thing less to worry about after Colorado’s diminishing defensive line. 

Colorado loses several defensive players in the portal

Deion Sanders is losing over 20 players in the spring transfer portal this offseason, and many of them are from the defensive side. The Buffs lost CB Omarion Cooper along with other key defensive players like DB Cormani McClain, DL Chazz Wallace, and DB Myles Slusher. That’s not all. They also lost EDGE Devee Harris, DB Jaden Millener-Jones, LB Demouy Kennedy, DB Vito Tisdale, EDGE Eric Brantley Jr., CB Adam Hopkins, and DL JJ Hawkins.

While these players are leaving Colorado, Deion Sanders secured two key defensive players from the portal namely Pittsburgh EDGE Dayon Hayes and Ohio DL Rayyan Buell. With the thinning defensive line, the Buffs can’t afford to lose any more on defense. Hopefully, Shilo Sanders is up and well enough to not miss a single game in the 2024 season.