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While Shedeur Sanders' NFL Draft slide continued into the weekend before eventually being selected by the Browns, he was given some false hope earlier on.
Sanders went viral after he appeared to receive a prank call while live streaming from his watch party in Texas. The person on the other end suggested he was an executive with the Saints preparing to draft Sanders, which, obviously, was untrue — and later on, more interesting details about the prank call came to light.
The prank caller wound up being the son, Jax, of a well-respected NFL defensive coordinator that's currently with the Falcons: Jeff Ulbrich. Jax Ulbrich issued an apology for the prank call Sunday, while the Falcons released a statement on the issue.
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Here's a look at the Sanders prank call from the quarterback's end and Jax Ulbrich's end, plus more to know about Ulbrich and his father.
Shedeur Sanders prank call
While live streaming during the NFL Draft, cameras were on Sanders as he received a call on a phone that was personally issued to him by the NFL. After picking up, Sanders put it on speaker, and the caller claimed he was Mickey Loomis, the general manager of the Saints.
"It's been a long wait, man. We're gonna take you with our next pick right here, man," the caller said, to which Sanders responded, "Let's be legendary."
The caller then said Sanders will "have to wait a little bit longer," then hung up. The call from Sanders' point of view can be found on YouTube:
Sanders was then confused after the call, saying "What does that mean?" and "I don't know what that was," then pointed out that "nobody got this number." Shortly after, the Saints drafted Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough.
On Saturday, video of the prank call from the other end came to light on social media. A younger man wearing an Ole Miss tee shirt, whose identity was initially unconfirmed, made the call with friends in what appeared to be a college dorm room.
The apparent prank calllers who phoned Shedeur Sanders on Friday during the NFL Draft shared a video of their call on Twitter.
The callers pretended to be Mickey Loomis of the Saints saying the team would select the QB.
Given that Sanders confirmed the NFL had given him the private phone for draft purposes, there were questions about how somebody could have gotten access to his number. Rumors began to swirl online that Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, was behind the leak, providing more clarity in how the private information leaked.
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ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday that the NFL was looking into the prank call and how the number was leaked.
An NFL official said the league is looking into how Shedeur Sanders’ private number was leaked and then used for this prank call: pic.twitter.com/h5P1CIIQlI
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 27, 2025This wasn't the only case of an NFL player being prank called on draft day. Tyler Warren and Kyle McCord were reportedly targets of prank calls over the weekend as well, and in 2024, Cooper DeJean was told he was being taken by the Packers on a call, but it was a prank.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 9, 2024Sanders told his brother, Shilo, on a stream that his phone number was "only in an email thread that the NFL sent out to only teams," so "it could be one of their kids that [saw] the email and just took the number," referring to an NFL employee's kids. He was ultimately proven right in that statement, with Ulbrich behind the prank calls.
“It didn’t really have an impact on me because it was just like, I mean, okay, like I don’t feed into negativity or I don’t feed into that stuff,” Shedeur said, per NBC Sports. “You’ve seen [it on the] YouTube video. My reaction to it, I don’t — it is what it is. I think of course it is childish. Of course, I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody does childish things here and there.”
Jax Ulbrich apology
The 21-year-old Ulbrich officially owned up to the phone number leak and prank call Sunday, issuing an apology to Sanders via social media. He also said he called Sanders himself earlier in the day to apologize.
"On Friday night I made a tremendous mistake. [Shedeur], what I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful. I'm so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish," Ulbrich wrote. "I could never imagine getting ready to celebrate one of the greatest moments of your life and I made a terrible mistake and messed with that moment."
Jax Ulbrich, son of #Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich, has issued an apology for pranking Shedeur Sanders: pic.twitter.com/AAARMAfvGB
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 27, 2025MORE: Tyler Warren, Kyle McCord among other players to receive draft day prank calls
Atlanta Falcons statement
The Falcons then released a statement that provided context into how Ulbrich got Sanders' phone number. The statement said that Ulbrich came across his father's open iPad, which contained draft information and the phone number, wrote it down, then later made the prank call.
Jeff Ulbrich did not know about the prank call or his son having Sanders' number until after the fact. Schefter reported that the defensive coordinator would not be punished for the situation with Sanders and the leaked phone number.
Statement from the #Falcons on how the prank happened: https://t.co/Su8r8PQYHa pic.twitter.com/IWUcOcSTQo
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 27, 2025The Falcons are not reprimanding Ulbrich as a result of the incident. The league has not commented as of yet.
MORE: How Shedeur Sanders fits in the Browns' QB room
Who is Jax Ulbrich?
Jax Ulbrich is the son of NFL defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and his wife Cristina, who have two other children as well.
Ulbrich reportedly deleted his Instagram account for some time after people on social media indicated he was behind the Sanders prank call. He has since added a post to the account with his apology to Sanders.
Where does Jax Ulbrich go to school?
Per his Berry College roster page, Jax Ulbrich is a sophomore at the school and plays football.
His page says he is a "business major who enjoys golfing and lifting," and is a New Jersey native.
Does Jax Ulbrich play football?
Jax Ulbrich plays football at Berry College, where he's currently a sophomore. He is listed as a 5-9 running back that has 64 rushing yards and a touchdown in his career thus far.
Berry College is a Division III school that's located in Georgia and is a member of the Southern Athletic Association.
MORE: 2025 NFL Draft quarterback grades
Jeff Ulbrich coaching history
After playing linebacker for San Jose State, Gavilan and Hawaii in college, then a 10-year NFL career with the 49ers totaling 501 tackles, Jeff Ulbrich began his coaching career in 2010.
He started with the Seahawks as a special teams assistant, then joined UCLA's program in 2012 as its linebackers and special teams coach. In February 2014, he became UCLA's defensive coordinator, where he helped produce some NFL talent.
In 2015, Ulbrich was hired by the Falcons as the team's linebackers coach. He was promoted to assistant head coach and linebackers coach in 2020; he became Atlanta's interim defensive coordinator during the 2020 season.
In 2021, Ulbrich became the Jets' new defensive coordinator under Robert Saleh. He became the team's interim head coach in 2024 when Saleh was fired after a 2-3 start, and Ulbrich guided New York to a 3-9 record the rest of the way.
In January, Ulbrich became the Falcons' defensive coordinator under Raheem Morris.
Jeff Ulbrich salary
According to Front Office Sports, Jeff Ulbrich makes an estimated $1.6 million as the Falcons' defensive coordinator. That makes him the ninth highest-paid defensive coordinator in the NFL
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