2020 four-star recruit Shedeur Sanders flipped his commitment from Florida Atlantic to Jackson State following his NFL Hall of Fame dad’s hiring last October.
The obvious guess was that Shedeur would get the keys to the offense right away.
After all, he is the highest-rated prospect to ever sign with the Tigers, and who knows him better than his dad?
The legendary NFL cornerback and former MLB player also served as his son’s offensive coordinator at Trinity Christian during the last couple of seasons of Shedeur’s high school career.
The father-son reign began with a hard-fought 7-6 win over a tough and gritty FAMU Rattlers squad on Sunday in a nationally televised game.
Billed as the Orange Blossom Classic, the game turned out to be an old school SWAC battle of the defenses.
https://youtu.be/-h9aRIlVqp8
After some comments made in July by Shedeur Sanders, proclaiming how easy it would be to score at this level, all eyes were on the JSU offense.
“You’ve got to understand we not …. y’all really don’t understand, like, it’s players that have different caliber of talent that all came to JSU,” Shedeur said.
“So it’s like when you compare us to a regular SWAC team, a different SWAC team, the best, like you’ve got to understand we didn’t come here because we had to. We came here because we chose to. It’s a difference.”
That’s borderline arrogant talk from a player who hadn’t taken a snap in a college football game yet. But he IS the son of Deion Sanders.
Sanders was a guy whose confidence could easily be interpreted as a brash cockiness, but Papa Prime backed up his charismatic nature every Sunday with Hall of Fame performances.
So we’ll see how that plays out.
JSU’s point production failed to match the hype as the Tigers offense struggled to get into the end zone.
Sanders scored the game’s only touchdown on a one-yard QB sneak.
Evidently, putting up points isn’t going to be as easy as it was for Team Sanders at the high school level.
Saturday’s challenge hopefully helps Shedeur understand that making those types of comments only gives opposing teams bulletin board material.
The fact that his Dad is Coach Prime just illuminates the target on his back.
Sanders wasn’t terrible in his first start. He was actually very efficient in Sunday’s win, going 18-24 for 221 yards and no interceptions.
Three fumbles and no passing touchdowns is something pops and son have to improve.
https://youtu.be/OcNkU5U387s
Analyzing Shedeur Sanders’ Performance
Shedeur showed an ability to spread the football around hitting seven different receivers. The true freshman also demonstrated command of the offense and poise in the pocket.
Sanders isn’t a one-read, tuck it and run QB. He has an innate ability to anticipate throws and throw receivers open. Give credit to the coaching staff for the game plan of quick, easy reads.
The win culminated an historic week for Sanders. He’s 1-0 in his collegiate career and already signed a record NIL deal with Beats By Dre.
Jackson State QB Shedeur Sanders, son of HOF and HC Deion Sanders, has signed an NIL deal with Beats by Dre.
Sanders is the first college athlete to sign with Beats 🎧 pic.twitter.com/2ZFxqRlzsz
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 1, 2021
Sanders becomes the brand’s first collegiate ambassador. He joins a team of notable athletes to endorse the brand, including LeBron James, Odell Beckham Jr, Serena Williams and NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace.
Sanders’ signing is a key tool in his father’s plan to market HBCU culture. Beats by Dre ranks among the most visible companies in the sports realm.
Watching HBCU football on ESPN2 on a Sunday is just amazing.
The burgeoning corporate love for HBCU football has everything to do with Deion Sanders. There’s nothing like seeing Prime Time roaming the sidelines with his swag on a thousand. Having his son play QB for him just adds to the intrigue.
Sanders signed on to be the face of his father’s HBCU movement and all of the pressures that may come with it. Who are we to doubt Shedeur? After all, father knows best.
