Shedeur Sanders has had the good luck of being coached by his father since the very beginning. Now that he is headed to the big leagues, Cam Newton wonders how Shedeur is going to fare without his father there to guide him.
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Appearing on ‘First Take,’ Newton claimed to “put his foot down” and ask questions no one else is aasking. Talking about Shedeur and Deion Sanders’ professional relationship, Newton openly expressed his belief in nepotism, stating,
“I believe in nepotism. I believe everything that you’re doing, you’ve got to put your people on.”
He acknowledged that Coach Prime has effectively done this by coaching his son since he was eight years old—through rec ball, high school, and now at the collegiate level. However, he raised critical questions about Shedeur’s future in the NFL, particularly regarding his ability to adapt to coaching from someone other than his father.
“My biggest question for Shedeur Sanders is, can he be coached by other people outside of his father? Because when you look in the real world, when you think about the statistics, you’ve only had one coach since you were eight years old, and now you’re 22. Have you built this protection around, has he been coached the right way to be able to say, “Boy, sit down and shut up.’
Newton highlighted a crucial fact: Shedeur has had only one coach for 14 years. This, according to him, raises concerns about whether he can handle different coaching styles and authority figures once he enters the professional realm.
Shedeur and his dad have achieved significant success at Colorado, and there is considerable anticipation regarding his performance at the next level. There’s even been some chatter about Deion following his sons to the NFL.
If Shedeur is unable to adapt to the different dynamics that come with having different coaches, would Coach Prime truly follow him there or will he let his son have his learning experiences?
Stephen A. Smith went a step further with Newton’s line of questioning. Highlighting his respect and admiration for Coach Prime, Smith asked,
“You asked about, Shedeur Sanders and can he be coached by someone other than his dad? I would ask, can the dad coach someone else at the quarterback spot?…You know your son backwards and forward. He’s got your DNA, your swag and everything that comes with it. We know who Shedeur Sanders is, we get all of that. What about when it’s somebody else.”
A lot is going to change for Deion and Sheduer Sanders in the upcoming months. Newton and Smith have raised essential questions about how this unique coaching relationship will affect Shedeur’s future in the NFL and vice versa. It will be interesting to see how both father and son navigate this transition into uncharted territory.
