Shilo Sanders, His Path From Nebraska to Colorado and the 2024 Season

Quick Answer

Shilo Sanders entered the 2024 season at Colorado as a veteran safety with significant expectations, but a forearm injury suffered on the first drive of the Nebraska game in week two disrupted his campaign. He missed all of two games and most of a third before returning to finish the season third on the team with 67 total tackles, 44 unassisted tackles, two tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries.

Following the season, he went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.

Key Facts

• Shilo Sanders played at three colleges: South Carolina (2019–2020), Jackson State (2021–2022), and Colorado (2023–2024)
• He was born February 9, 2000, in Dallas, Texas, making him 26 years old as of September 2026
• Listed at 6 feet 0 inches and 196 pounds
• He attended Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas
• In 2024, he recorded 67 total tackles, 44 unassisted tackles, two tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries
• He missed two full games and most of a third after injuring his arm against Nebraska in week two of the 2024 season
• He was projected as an undrafted free agent with an overall rank of #290 and position rank of #53 among defensive backs
• CBS Sports ranked him as the No. 382 overall prospect and No. 29 safety in the 2025 NFL Draft class
• He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in May 2025
• He was ejected from a Buccaneers preseason game on August 23, 2025, for taking a swing at a Bills tight end
• He was waived by the Buccaneers one day after that ejection

The Winding College Path From South Carolina to Colorado

Shilo Sanders' college career did not follow the traditional arc of a top recruit moving steadily through one program. Instead, it was defined by movement, adaptation, and the unique circumstances of playing for his father, Deion Sanders, at two different schools.

Early Years at South Carolina

Sanders began his college football career at South Carolina in 2019, playing there through the 2020 season. His time in the Southeastern Conference provided him with early exposure to high-level competition, but it did not become the launching pad many might have expected for a player with his pedigree.

The freshman and sophomore seasons at South Carolina were developmental years, though specific statistics from those seasons are not detailed in the reference material.

The Jackson State Chapter

In 2021, Sanders followed his father to Jackson State, where Deion Sanders had taken over as head coach. The move from the SEC to the Southwestern Athletic Conference represented a significant shift in competitive level, but it also placed Shilo in a system where he was trusted and featured.

His two seasons at Jackson State (2021–2022) came during a period of heightened national attention on the program, driven largely by the presence of his younger brother Shedeur Sanders at quarterback and the elder Sanders' high-profile coaching tenure. The Jackson State years were formative for Shilo.

He played within a defensive scheme that allowed him to showcase his instincts and tackling ability. While the reference material does not provide his specific statistics from those seasons, his development during this period positioned him for the move to the Power Five level that would follow.

The Colorado Move

When Deion Sanders accepted the head coaching position at Colorado in December 2022, Shilo and Shedeur both transferred to Boulder. This was not a lateral move in terms of conference prestige—Colorado competes in the Pac-12 (in 2023) and then the Big 12 (in 2024), a significant step up in competition from Jackson State's FCS schedule.

Shilo played two seasons at Colorado (2023–2024). The 2023 season, his first in the Power Five since leaving South Carolina, served as an audition for NFL scouts.

His 2024 season, however, was disrupted by injury at a critical moment, which may have affected his draft stock heading into the 2025 NFL Draft process.

The 2024 Season Injury, Recovery, and Production

The 2024 season at Colorado was always going to be significant for Shilo Sanders. It was his final year of college eligibility, his second season in the Big 12 after the conference realignment, and his last opportunity to make a case to NFL evaluators before entering the draft.

The season did not unfold according to plan.

The Nebraska Injury

Colorado opened its 2024 season against an FCS opponent before facing Nebraska in week two. It was on the first drive of that Nebraska game that disaster struck.

Sanders suffered a forearm injury that required surgery, forcing him to exit the game—a 28-10 loss for Colorado. The timing could not have been worse.

An injury in the second game of a senior season limits the number of games a player can use to build a draft portfolio. For a safety who was not considered a top-tier prospect entering the season, every snap mattered.

Missing multiple games removed opportunities to accumulate film against quality opponents and to demonstrate improvement in areas scouts had flagged.

Recovery and Return

The recovery process was not quick. Sanders missed all of two games and most of a third before he was cleared to return.

His father, Deion Sanders, addressed the injury publicly, stating on a Tuesday that Shilo was ready, practicing at full speed, and wearing a rubber cast or brace to protect the surgically repaired forearm. The injury did not end his season, but it fundamentally changed its shape.

Instead of playing a full 13-game schedule, Sanders was limited to roughly 10 games of action. This reduction in total snaps had implications for his final college statistics and for how NFL teams would evaluate his durability.

Statistical Output Upon Return

Despite the disrupted campaign, Sanders managed to finish the season with respectable numbers. He ranked third on the Colorado team with 67 total tackles.

Of those, 44 were unassisted tackles, indicating that he was frequently making plays on his own rather than relying on assists from teammates. He also recorded two tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries.

These numbers reflect a player who was productive when on the field but who lacked the volume of plays that would have come with a full season. For context, had he sustained the same per-game tackle rate over a complete 13-game season, his totals would have been meaningfully higher.

The missed games likely cost him 10–15 additional tackles and additional opportunities for turnovers or pass breakups.

Context Within the Colorado Defense

Colorado's 2024 defense was a unit in transition. The program had undergone significant roster turnover under Deion Sanders, with heavy reliance on transfer portal acquisitions.

The defense was frequently on the field, given that the offense was among the most explosive in the nation—led by Shilo's brother Shedeur, who threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns during the 2024 season. When a defense faces a high number of opponent possessions, safeties naturally accumulate more tackle opportunities.

Shilo's role in the Colorado defense was primarily as a box safety or hybrid defender, tasked with run support and physical coverage over tight ends and slot receivers. His 44 unassisted tackles out of 67 total suggests he was not merely cleaning up plays after defensive linemen had made contact—he was consistently involved at the point of attack.

The NFL Transition From Undrafted to Tampa Bay

The journey from college safety to NFL roster spot is rarely linear, and Shilo Sanders' path was no exception. His draft evaluation process began long before the 2024 season concluded, and the trajectory did not trend in his favor as the draft approached.

Draft Projections and Evaluation

Throughout the 2024 season and into the 2025 pre-draft process, Sanders was consistently projected as an undrafted free agent rather than a draft pick. NFL Draft Buzz ranked him as the No.

290 overall prospect and the No. 53 defensive back in the class.

CBS Sports had him at No. 382 overall and No.

29 among safeties. These rankings placed him firmly outside the range of players who would hear their names called during the seven-round draft.

For a player with his family name and exposure, this was a notable outcome. The pre-draft discourse around Sanders often acknowledged that his surname would not be enough to overcome questions about his athletic traits, injury history, and on-field discipline.

One Yahoo Sports article went so far as to suggest Sanders could be a "steal" in the draft, noting that he ranked fourth among college defensive backs in turnovers created with 15 over his college career. That statistic, however, was not enough to elevate his stock into draftable territory.

Signing With Tampa Bay

After going undrafted, Sanders signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent on May 9, 2025. The Buccaneers filled out their offseason roster with 15 undrafted free agent signings, and Sanders was among that group.

Undrafted free agents face long odds to make an NFL roster. They must outperform not only their undrafted peers but also veteran players and late-round draft picks who have more guaranteed financial investment from the team.

Sanders entered training camp competing for a spot in a Buccaneers secondary that already had established starters and role players.

The Preseason Ejection and Waiver

Whatever momentum Sanders built during training camp came to an abrupt halt on August 23, 2025, during the Buccaneers' preseason finale. He was ejected from the game for taking a swing at a Buffalo Bills tight end.

The incident was captured on broadcast and drew immediate attention. One day after the ejection, on August 24, 2025, the Buccaneers waived Sanders.

The speed of the decision suggested that the team viewed the incident as a violation of standards that could not be tolerated, particularly from a player who was not yet established on the roster. This sequence—ejection followed by waiver within 24 hours—effectively ended his 2025 NFL season before it began.

He would not appear in any regular season NFL games during his rookie year.

The Broader Family Context

It is impossible to discuss Shilo Sanders without acknowledging the family dynamics that have shaped his career. His father, Deion Sanders, is one of the most recognizable figures in American sports, a Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback who transitioned to coaching and became the face of Colorado football's resurgence.

His younger brother Shedeur had a historic 2024 season at Colorado, setting multiple program records including single-season passing yards (4,134), single-season completion percentage (74.0%), single-season passing touchdowns (37), and single-season completions (353). Shedeur was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft, and CBS Sports graded the Browns' fifth-round pick as an "A+" selection.

The contrast between the brothers' 2025 trajectories is stark. Shedeur entered the NFL as a first-round caliber quarterback with a franchise investing significant resources in him.

Shilo entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent who was waived before the regular season began.

The Path Forward What Comes Next After the Waiver

As of September 2026, Shilo Sanders is a 26-year-old safety without an NFL team. His professional situation is uncertain, but he is not without options.

Practice Squad Possibilities

The waiver from Tampa Bay does not preclude Sanders from catching on with another team. Many players who are waived during training camp or preseason are signed to practice squads once the regular season begins.

Practice squads expanded in recent years to allow up to 16 or 17 players per team, creating more opportunities for developmental players. Sanders' name recognition and college production could make him an attractive practice squad candidate for a team seeking depth at safety.

His experience at three different college programs and his exposure to the Deion Sanders defensive philosophy provide a baseline of knowledge that could appeal to coaches. However, the circumstances of his waiver—being released within 24 hours of an on-field altercation—may give teams pause.

NFL organizations are generally risk-averse when it comes to adding players with recent behavioral concerns, particularly when those players do not have guaranteed contracts or draft capital invested in them.

What He Must Improve

If Sanders is to earn a legitimate NFL roster spot, he must address several areas that evaluators flagged throughout the draft process. His athletic testing did not place him among elite safety prospects.

His injury history, including the 2024 forearm surgery, raises durability questions. And his on-field discipline, particularly the ejection that led to his waiver, must be beyond reproach moving forward.

The path for undrafted safeties to carve out NFL careers exists, but it requires special teams value. Players who make rosters as undrafted free agents are typically those who can contribute immediately on coverage units while developing as defensive players.

Sanders did not have a documented special teams role in college, which places him at a disadvantage compared to prospects who logged significant special teams snaps.

A Complicated Legacy

Shilo Sanders' football journey is unusual in its arc. He arrived at Colorado with significant fanfare, given his family name and the national attention on the program.

He produced solid, if not spectacular, statistics when healthy. But his college career ended without the draft selection many observers had speculated about, and his brief NFL stint with Tampa Bay ended before it truly began.

The question now is whether his story has more chapters. At 26, he is not old by NFL standards—many safeties play into their early 30s.

But he is also not young, and the window for establishing himself as an NFL contributor is narrower than it was when he entered college at South Carolina in 2019. His career to date has been defined by persistence.

He has transferred twice, recovered from significant injury, and continued to compete at each stop. Those qualities do not guarantee NFL success, but they suggest that a definitive conclusion to his professional football story may be premature.

Frequently Asked Questions

What position did Shilo Sanders play at Colorado?

Shilo Sanders played safety at Colorado during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He was listed at 6 feet 0 inches and 196 pounds and wore jersey number 21.

His role primarily involved run support and coverage responsibilities typical of a strong safety or hybrid defender.

How many tackles did Shilo Sanders have in the 2024 season?

Shilo Sanders recorded 67 total tackles during the 2024 season at Colorado. Of those, 44 were unassisted tackles.

He also had two tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries. He ranked third on the Colorado team in total tackles despite missing two full games and most of a third due to injury.

What injury did Shilo Sanders suffer in 2024?

Shilo Sanders suffered a forearm injury on the first drive of Colorado's game against Nebraska in week two of the 2024 season. The injury required surgery, and he missed two full games and most of a third before returning to action.

His father, Deion Sanders, confirmed that Shilo recovered fully and was practicing without limitations before his return to game action.

Which NFL team signed Shilo Sanders as an undrafted free agent?

Shilo Sanders signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent on May 9, 2025. He was one of 15 undrafted free agents signed by the Buccaneers to fill out their offseason roster.

However, he was waived by the team on August 24, 2025, one day after being ejected from a preseason game for taking a swing at a Buffalo Bills tight end.

How does Shilo Sanders' college career compare to his brother Shedeur's?

The Sanders brothers had very different college trajectories. Shilo played at South Carolina, Jackson State, and Colorado from 2019 through 2024.

Shedeur played at Jackson State and Colorado from 2021 through 2024, setting multiple Colorado single-season records in his final year, including 4,134 passing yards and 37 passing touchdowns. Shedeur was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft, while Shilo went undrafted and signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent.

Reference Notes

Information in this article is based on publicly available sources. Some details may change over time.

Verify with official sources before acting.