Ahead of the Colorado Buffaloes’ spring game last Saturday, the program made the controversial decision to retire the No. 12 jersey of WR/CB Travis Hunter and the No. 2 jersey of QB Shedeur Sanders. While both moves drew significant criticism from fans and the media, it was Sanders’ jersey retirement, in particular, that stirred up the most backlash.
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Hunter had a season for the ages, playing 700+ snaps at both WR and CB and finishing top 10 in both receiving TDs and interceptions among CBs en route to a Heisman Trophy (just the second in program history).
Sanders, on the other hand, simply had a very good season. He did win the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, but that’s not really the kind of achievement that warrants a jersey retirement. There are many Colorado legends with national championships or a litany of records to their names who haven’t received that honor either.
Since Shedeur is the son of his head coach and program messiah Deion Sanders, the retirement of his jersey sparked claims of nepotism. One of those voices was Barstool podcaster and former three-time Pro Bowl tackle Taylor Lewan. The Michigan alum believes there are elements of bias and nepotism involved in the decision, but he also showed some empathy for Shedeur.
“Michigan doesn’t really retire numbers, but if they ever were like, ‘Hey, we’re putting you in our Hall of Fame,’ I don’t even know if they have a Hall of Fame—I would just be so grateful and so proud of that,” said the former tackle.
“And to see Shedeur, it’s like. Okay, he wasn’t an All-American. He was Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year or All-Big 12 or something like that, which is great, but like, everybody has that. So there is the nepotism, there is the bias,” he added.
The fact that Shedeur Sanders wasn’t even an All-American in either of his seasons in Boulder is definitely a strike against him. He didn’t win a Bowl game, any major national honors, and wasn’t considered among the top two at his position during his senior year. That doesn’t seem like a formula for a jersey retirement ceremony.
But despite his view that there might have been some nepotism involved, Lewan was still congratulatory toward Sanders overall. He recognizes what a “cool” honor this is for the 23-year-old.
Lewan also acknowledged that we don’t know how this decision by Colorado will look in 5-10 years. Sanders could turn out to have a great pro career that surpasses his college accolades — much like Lewan’s fellow Michigan alumnus Tom Brady.
“But I’m happy for him, because it’s like, that is cool. Now, whether he deserved it or not. I don’t know man. Hopefully, he has an incredible NFL career, and then we all look back on it similar to the way Michigan looks at Tom Brady, [who] didn’t have like, a Hall of Fame college career. But then, he goes to the NFL, and he’s the greatest player of all-time. So there’s still an opportunity, his story’s unwritten dude.”
At this point, what’s done is done. The jerseys are retired. What I think, you think, your uncle thinks, or what Taylor Lewan thinks about them being up in the rafters doesn’t matter anymore. It certainly won’t be on Shedeur Sanders’ mind.
With just two days until the 2025 NFL Draft, Sanders’ stock is the most volatile and talked-about topic in NFL circles. No doubt he’s been paying more attention to that than to the discourse about his college jersey retirement.
