When you talk about the 2023 Colorado Buffaloes under the direction of first-year head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, a few other names come to mind.
Those names are usually 2022 No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter and Coach Prime’s youngest son Shedeur Sanders, who’s the team’s starting quarterback.
And, while those two names, along with Coach Prime, will always garner the bulk of the attention, another Sanders is beginning to make himself known around Boulder as well.
That’s none other than Coach Prime’s middle son, Shilo, a former three-star safety who’s known for his big hits and aggressive downhill style on the back end of the defense. Shilo, has been recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in year one at Jackson State, but now fully healthy and locked-in, Shilo is taking on a leadership role in the Colorado secondary.
Dad Calls Him A Dog
Coach Prime has been raving about Shilo’s leadership and practice habits, and how he’s showing the younger guys what it means to be a D1 athlete.
During last Friday’s media day, Sanders was very complimentary of Shilo’s efforts since his arrival to a Boulder in May. He arrived then because he stayed at Jackson State to graduate.
“Shilo is a dog, man,” Sanders said. “Shilo is a leader of men. Shilo is not shy with his words. He’s practicing his butt off. He’s trying to hit everything he sees out there. But he’s doing his job. Shilo, amongst a couple other DBs, they take their lunch in the meeting room, they’re watching the film before the coaches even get ahold of them.”
“So by the time the coach is getting in, they’ve already made the adjustments and understand what they did wrong,” Sanders continued. “They are just taking it serious. They know they only have a couple more years in this thing, and they’re really taking it serious. They want to be dominant. They just don’t want to win. So I’m proud of him. I’m proud of him, not only as a coach, but as a father.”
Shilo leads the secondary, which he refers to as the “Headache Gang” for the big shots they deliver to opposing receivers and backs.
Buffaloes DC Charles Kelly Recruited Shilo Out Of HS
First-year CU Buffs defensive coordinator Charles Kelly has always been a fan of Shilo. He even recruited him to Florida State, Tennessee and Alabama. Now the two are finally together, and Kelly is excited to coach him.
“He’s worked really hard this summer,” Kelly said. “I’ve challenged him to some certain things, what I’ve said what I believe Power Five draftable safeties should be, and he’s worked harder at them. He’s very smart. He’s tough. But it’ll be interesting to see how he does going into the fall.”
Kelly’s track record of sending players to the pros intrigues Shilo, who’s got serious NFL dreams and hopes.
