Nov 11, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) at the line of scrimmage in the first half against the Arizona Wildcats at Folsom Field.
Just how good is Shedeur Sanders?
Although the Colorado quarterback has just one FBS year of experience under his belt after two seasons at Jackson State, he’s undoubtedly one of the best signal callers in college football. It’s why he has the second-best odds to be the first QB selected in the 2025 NFL draft.
Sanders threw for a school-record 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns last season in his first year with the Buffaloes. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound QB completed 69.3% of his passes (eighth-best in FBS) and threw just three interceptions despite being the most sacked (52) signal caller in the country.
A projected first-round NFL draft pick, Sanders possesses pinpoint accuracy and a competitiveness that opponents respect.
“He’s (Sanders) special,” Arizona QB Noah Fifita told the Coloradoan at Big 12 media days in July. “That’s a generational talent for sure. Just watching him and the things that he does, he’s very competitive. I know people don’t like some of his tactics but as a competitor myself, I love it.
“Whatever it takes to win, everybody has their own style.”
Sanders certainly has his own flamboyant style and even parts of his game that must improve before next year’s draft, but he shouldn’t have been left off the Associated Press preseason All-America team.
It’s not that Georgia QB Carson Beck (first team) and Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel (second team) — who got the nod over Sanders — don’t deserve preseason AP All-America honors. It’s just that Sanders is a better individual talent than the aforementioned signal callers, even if the Colorado football team isn’t as good as the preseason No. 1 Bulldogs or the No. 3 Ducks.
Last season was evidence of that.
Here are three reasons why Sanders is one of the best QBs (if not the best QB) in college football entering the 2024 season:
Shedeur Sanders shines against top competition
Sanders faced off against a top-25 team in six of the 10 full games he played in 2023. That’s quite a bit of elite competition, and it would’ve surprised no one if he struggled in those matchups behind such a horrid offensive line situation.
However, Sanders was excellent against top-25 opponents, completing 64.6% of his passes for 10 touchdowns and just one interception. Those are outstanding individual numbers for a QB who was constantly under duress and sacked on 10.2% of his dropbacks (FBS average is 6.1%).
For comparison’s sake, Gabriel played against just two top-25 teams last season. The Oklahoma transfer completed 65.4% of his passes for two touchdowns and one interception in those games.
Sanders has proved that he’s capable of playing well against superior competition. He should be even better in 2024 with an improved offensive line.
Shedeur Sanders is a surgeon in the red zone
Football games are won and lost in the red zone. How often a team scores touchdowns when inside the 20-yard line as opposed to settling for a field goal determines the overall success of an offense.
The quarterback is crucial to those efforts and the red zone is where accuracy becomes paramount. That’s Sanders’ superpower. His elite ball placement and high football IQ makes him so dangerous in scoring position.
Inside the red zone last season, Sanders threw 15 touchdowns to just one interception, according to 247Sports’ Clint Brewster.
A 12-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Weaver against Nebraska’s No. 11-ranked defense is a perfect example of Sanders’ red-zone dominance. During a one-score game (13-7) midway through the third quarter, Sanders buys time on 3rd and 10 by rolling to his left before squaring his shoulders upfield to deliver an endzone strike in between two Cornhuskers.
Sanders’ mobility and accuracy were on full display there. Who knows how the Buffs’ 36-14 win over Nebraska would’ve ended up if Colorado was forced to settle for a field goal in that situation.
Shedeur Sanders is elite in the fourth quarter
Actually, it’s fair to say that even if the Buffs and Cornhuskers found themselves in a fourth-quarter dogfight last season, Sanders would’ve found a way to come out on top.
Sanders first went “Brady mode” just a week after knocking off Nebraska, leading a 98-yard, game-tying touchdown drive against Colorado State with 2:06 left in regulation. His game-winning touchdown pass in overtime completed the biggest fourth quarter comeback for Colorado since 2005.
Just three weeks later, Sanders did it again.
After Arizona State tied the game at 24 with a mere 50 seconds remaining, Sanders launched a 43-yard dime to flip the field and set up a game-winning field goal from Alejandro Mata.
In the fourth quarter last season, Sanders completed 72% of his passes for 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Brady mode, indeed. Beck wasn’t nearly as sharp in the fourth quarter, posting a 69.6% completion rate and throwing as many interceptions as touchdowns (two).
Not only does Sanders play well against elite competition, he’s also surgical in the red zone and the quarterback you want in the fourth quarter of close games.
Sounds like arguably the best QB in college football.
Follow Colorado Buffaloes sports reporter Scott Procter on X.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Why Shedeur Sanders is one of the best QBs in college football
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Publish date : 2024-08-26 01:01:00
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