The Pac-12 reporters have spoken, and they are not buying the hype around Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. College Sports Wire ranked Sanders as the eighth-best quarterback in the conference.
Sanders is one of the newcomers to the conference but played his first two college seasons at Jackson State. He posted back-to-back 3,000-yard passing seasons, threw for 70 touchdowns, and finished top five in passing yards in the FCS.
Now he looks to duplicate that success with the Buffaloes.
Are They Hating or Being Realistic?
The Pac-12 probably has the deepest quarterback group of all college football. Caleb Williams, reigning Heisman winner and projected first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, returns to USC this fall. Former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei also transferred into the conference and will be playing at Oregon State.
The conference also has Oregon’s Bo Nix, Utah’s Cameron Rising, five-star recruit Dante Moore at UCLA, Arizona’s Jayden de Laura, and Washington State’s Cameron Ward.
The talent level in the Pac-12 will be a much different level than Sanders experienced while playing at the HBCU level, and it will take some adjusting, but it’s still Pac-12 defenses.
Eight quarterbacks threw for at least 3,000 yards and 20 passing touchdowns in 2022 against Pac-12 defenses. Eight of the 12 teams in the conference gave up an average of at least 25 points per game, versus just seven teams in the SEC, which has 14 teams and is widely considered the best conference in college football.
Talented Buffaloes
Despite the questions about Sanders making the transition from FCS to FBS, he will not be lacking in talent. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders brought a lot of talent with him in his “Louis luggage.”
Former five-star recruit and two-way player Travis Hunter joined Sanders at Colorado as well. Last season at Jackson State, Hunter had 18 receptions for 190 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in eight games. He also had two interceptions, including a pick-six, on the defensive side of the ball.
Jimmy Horn Jr. is an electric receiver that played two years at the University of South Florida before joining Coach Prime in Colorado. He racked up 67 receptions, 959 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns in two seasons. He also had 14 carries, 107 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. The versatile speedster just needs the ball in his hands to make something happen.
Sanders also will have former Kent State head coach Sean Lewis as his offensive coordinator. He is responsible for leading Kent State to two of the school’s only four bowl game appearances and their only bowl game win.
