In what has somehow turned out to be one of the most controversial ceremonies in college football history, the Colorado Buffaloes retired the jersey numbers of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter at their 2025 Spring game. While the consensus view is that Hunter is more than deserving of the honor, much has been made about Sanders’ receiving the same acknowledgment.
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As online criticisms and cries of nepotism continue to be directed towards the Sanders family, Kay Adams is calling for a ceasefire. During the latest installment of her Up & Adams broadcast on Fan Duel TV, the renowned media personality asserted that both men were more than deserving of their recognitions.
“Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, when you are undeniable, you get your stuff retired. They undeniably made an impact in short order on Colorado football. To not be happy for them is a little weird… It’s not their fault that previous regimes didn’t appropriately honor other star players who should be, that is on them,” Kay explained.
While Adams suggested that the outrage surrounding the issue is akin to yelling at a cloud, many former members of the organization, such as Colorado legend Chad Brown, maintain their reservations with the decision. In noting that more than a dozen former players share his sentiments, Brown found the Buffaloes’ call to retire not one, but two jerseys as “odd,” to say the least.
In a recent interview with TMZ, Brown explained that,
“If we were a program that handed these things out all the time, I think myself and a lot of other former alumni would look at this through a very, very different lens… But considering how incredibly conservative we have been, and now to do it to two guys, who are both on campus still, it feels a bit odd.”
While Brown’s concerns over legitimate players not receiving their fair share of recognition are more than legitimate, so too are Adam’s claims that those shortcomings fall on the shoulders of Colorado’s staff, not Hunter or Sanders. Considering that Hunter’s 2024 campaign delivered a Heisman trophy, a feat that no other player in Colorado history has managed to achieve apart from Rashaan Salaam in 1984, the majority of the criticism is likely aimed at Sanders.
Despite setting an all-time FBS career record for pass completion percentage, Sanders has been consistently met with comments and concerns pertaining to his father, also being his head coach. Where some view the connection as an amazing bond between a father and his son, others argue that the situation is ripe with favoritism and personal biases.
Nevertheless, Sanders is set to become just the 28th player in Colorado history to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, assuming that Hunter is drafted before him. Factor in the amount of attention and success that he was able to generate for the program, and it becomes more understandable as to why the program may have thought that it was right to honor him.
Then again, no matter what he may say or do, Sanders is all but destined to live in the shadow of his hall of fame father. Thankfully, he’ll be given an opportunity to step out of that shadow on April 24th.
From that point forward, it will be sink or swim for the 23-year-old prospect. Given the convoluted nature of his draft cycle, fans will surely await his NFL debut with bated breaths.
