Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter’s absence to test Deion Sanders’ Colorado loyalty, says ESPN insider

The biggest stars of Colorado football are gone, and with them, perhaps so is the safety net that once shielded Deion Sanders from scrutiny.

Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter helped launch Colorado football back into national relevance — and prime-time attention — the moment they arrived in Boulder. With their NFL careers now underway with the Browns and Jaguars, Coach Prime is entering uncharted territory in 2025.

According to ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura, this upcoming season is where Sanders’ commitment to the Buffaloes will truly be tested. 

“Even with a generational talent in Travis Hunter and a dynamic quarterback with his son, Shedeur Sanders, the Buffaloes were still just 13-12 over the past two seasons. They masked a lot of issues,” Bonagura wrote. “Without them, the team's on-field identity will inevitably evolve. And with that, we'll also likely get a better understanding of how committed Coach Prime is to the job long term.”

It’s a theme echoed earlier by CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson, who wrote that the presence of Hunter and Shedeur shifted attention away from Deion Sanders in 2024. 

“The individual successes of Hunter and Shedeur Sanders drew some of the attention away from Coach Prime, and our discussions pivoted to football instead of focusing on what had been viewed as unorthodox methods of flipping the roster through the transfer portal,” Patterson noted.

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Bonagura’s evaluation makes one thing clear: Sanders will have to answer for the product on the field more than ever, starting during the 2025 season. There will be no Heisman campaign to soak up the headlines. No son slinging the ball to generate nonstop NFL Draft buzz. Just Deion, his locker room, and a few fellow NFL Hall of Famer’s playing coaches.

The real question may no longer be whether Colorado can win under Sanders. It’s whether he’ll stick it out now that his stars are gone — because without them, it’s unclear if he can thrive or even stay the course.

A 9-4 season and a near Big 12 Championship berth offered a glimpse of what Colorado could become. Now we’ll find out whether Deion Sanders is still fully committed to leading it there.