Shedeur Sanders Admits He Was Initially “Nervous” About Deion Sanders’ Reaction to His New Braids

New hair, new me! It’s a common expression to hear when someone switches up their style out of the blue. Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders may not know the phrase, but he recently put it into practice.

The 2025 NFL Draft prospect debuted a braided hairstyle on Tuesday’s episode of his 2Legendary podcast. Surprisingly, he didn’t even consult his father, Deion, before making the change.

Shedeur is currently in Vegas, balancing workouts, high school visits, and refining his skills ahead of the combine and draft. But surely, a haircut wasn’t part of the plan. That’s why he wasn’t sure how Coach Prime would react upon seeing it for the first time. However, after a FaceTime call, he “could tell” Deion was a fan.

“I was nervous… just seeing what Dad was gonna say. But I’m older now, so I gotta do me a little more… Dad seen it on FaceTime, and he really liked it on the inside. I could tell… he probably wish he could do that right now.”

When pressed for an explanation on his new hairdo, Shedeur claimed that the thought came to him while working out. Then, he backtracked and offered another reason.

“We don’t have too many TVs in the house. We got a mirror… I was working out, I’m like, ‘you know, bro… I’m gonna get my hair braided. That’s how it came about… I’m lying, I just felt like doing it,” Shedeur added.

Shedeur is currently neck-deep in preparation for the NFL Scouting Combine. He was favored to be the No. 1 overall pick throughout most of the 2024 collegiate season. Over the past month-plus, though, he has fallen from that perch and dropped beneath Miami’s Cam Ward in many analysts’ draft rankings.

Shedeur’s new cut won’t propel him back in front of Ward, but it does add him to the list of football players to embrace the braid style. Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry unveiled braids following the team’s Week 14 bye. Ja’Marr Chase, Keon Coleman and Lamar Jackson are among the many other players to sport the look in their career.

The NFL Scouting Combine runs from February 27 – March 2. Since all workouts are done without helmets and pads, fans will get to see Shedeur display the new look as he tries to prove himself during the earliest phase of the league’s scouting process.