Before following Deion Sanders to Jackson State and then Colorado, Shedeur Sanders shined in his father’s offense on the high school stage. What did the duo accomplish, and where did they accomplish it?
Shedeur Sanders: A 2-Time High School Champ
Sanders attended Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas, where “Coach Prime” was the school’s offensive coordinator. The duo didn’t just “start off hot” — they completely torched the competition.
With one Sanders calling the plays and the other executing them on the field, Trinity Christian went to three straight Division II state championships in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, winning in 2018 and 2019.
The younger Sanders vastly improved each season under center, increasing his completion rate from 53% as a freshman to 74% as a junior. In those first three years, the dynamic father-son duo posted a 39-2 record, and while Sanders’ senior campaign wasn’t as successful (8-3), his 47 high school wins are tied for the 12th most all-time in the nation.
While Sanders’ familial lineage certainly played a factor in his recruiting, he also ended his high school career with 12,498 passing yards and 166 passing touchdowns. That’s an average of 3,124 yards and 42 TDs each season. The result was a consensus four-star rating as a top-10 prospect in Texas.
Despite holding over 25 scholarship offers, including from Alabama, Florida State, LSU, and Oregon, Sanders initially committed to Willie Taggart’s Florida Atlantic Owls. However, once FCS-level HBCU Jackson State hired Deion Sanders as its next head coach, Shedeur flipped his commitment to the Tigers.
“I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to help level the playing field & pursue equality for HBCUs! Dad, I got your back! JSU #theeilove COMMITTED,” Sanders posted on social media.
Following his announcement, Sanders shared that while the NFL was his goal, he also wanted to “build a dynasty here at JSU. I’m trying to do things that haven’t been done in HBCU football.”
“Nobody wants to be the first guy,” Sanders said. “Nobody wants to be the first to do anything. Nobody else is really going to pick an HBCU, at first. Then, I was like, ‘Why not be the first? Why not be that guy to do it?’ Other athletes are influenced, and they’re going to make the move.”
Sanders was the first four-star commit in Jackson State history, but after an 11-2 season, the Tigers lured five-star and consensus No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter to Mississippi.
In his two years with JSU, Sanders led the program to a 23-3 record, including a perfect 16-0 in SWAC games, won two conference championships (the school’s first since 2007), and two appearances in the Celebration Bowl, known as the HBCU National Championship.
Sanders holds Jackson State records for single-season passing TDs (40) and completions (344) and is second for passing yards (3,752; record: 3,808).
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Yet, Coach Prime received the opportunity to coach in the Power Four at Colorado and took it, bringing Shedeur, Hunter, and his other son, star safety Shilo, with him.
The Year 1 returns left much to be desired (4-8), especially when the Buffaloes came out firing with a 3-0 record against 2022 national title team TCU and rivals Nebraska and Colorado State.
It was the most on-field adversity the Sanders family has faced together, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that the Prime Time pair thrives on overcoming challenges and rewriting the narrative.
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