The baby bird gotta leave the nest one day. Shedeur Sanders has essentially played all his football coached by his father, Deion Sanders. But as he now ascends to the NFL, he’s got to diverge from his first and biggest proponent. This calls for a nice parting gift before bidding adieu. Shedeur’s perhaps got something up his sleeve. It’s got flash and pageantry that fits into Coach Prime’s wheelhouse, and, above all, will serve as a successor to Shedeur’s vacated throne in Boulder.

The discourse around Shedeur Sanders has been a little muddled recently, owing to his fluctuating NFL Draft stock. But one thing is unequivocal. At the collegiate level, he was a bona fide star. They say leave the place better than you found it. Shedeur spearheaded the Colorado Buffs to epitomize precisely that. The quarterback first slid under center when the program had just come off a 1-15 season. 2 years on, he departs having propelled them into the AP’s Top 25. Somebody’s got to keep this upward trajectory, this momentum, going. One player in the class of ‘26 is sure to be capable, and Deion knows that. It’s only right that Shedeur’s planting the seeds of a recruitment charge while he still can.

Overtime’s prestigious OT7, a 7v7 tournament-style camp, is a hotbed for high school talent looking to make inroads with scouts and programs. Some of the nation’s best prospects pull up to Dallas to partake in the event. He doesn’t need the eyeballs or the scholarships- since he’s already got all of ‘em- but 5-star QB Keisean Henderson graced the occasion with his presence. The Texas native made the short trip from his hometown, Houston, for a 2nd year running to reinforce what he’s about. Knowing Henderson was about to sling the pigskin was bound to draw a crowd. And it did, with Shedeur Sanders getting boots on the ground at OT7. The pair’s interaction fanned the flames of the Colorado alum potentially wooing Henderson, the #1 prospect in the entirety of TX.

Overtime posted a video on IG of Keisean Henderson coming all the way out to link with Shedeur Sanders, who’s seemingly just arrived at the venue. Keisean actually catches the latter by surprise while he’s looking elsewhere. This leads to a hilarious exchange between the two. Keisean asks Shedeur, “What you was finna do to me, bro?” implying how he had just gotten past Shedeur’s security to catch him lacking by surprise. As the two embrace and dap up, Shedeur replies, “[I was going to]chill…I know nobody that crazy…[my security] let you through so I knew you was straight!” This conversation shows that the two already have a pre-existing relationship. Which bodes well for Colorado.

Deion Sanders and the school are one of 39 schools that’ve extended a scholarship offer to Keisean Henderson. That seems insurmountable. However, Shedeur’s reverence within young quarterbacks and this relationship with Keisean do give them more than a puncher’s chance. That said, there’s a massive stumbling block between Prime and this elite signal caller.

Even the Deion and Shedeur Sanders factor may not be enough to mobilize Keisean Henderson

Keisean Henderson has offers from pretty much every blueblood in the country, and for good reason, too. He’s the 2nd ranked quarterback in his class, according to 247Sports. Prospects of this ilk don’t usually slip past the Ohio States and Alabamas of this world. However, Deion Sanders’ primary contender isn’t a blueblood. Henderson’s doing things a little differently.

Keisean Henderson is currently committed to his hometown of Houston and has been since May ‘24. Through his recruitment process, he’s emphasized the importance of staying close to home. UH must be counting their lucky starts that this is how things are transpiring. On3 currently gives the Cougars a whopping 96.1% chance to successfully land their man. Seems like he’s headed to the Big 12, but not with the Buffaloes.

Through all his eccentricity and eminence, Deion Sanders is a magnetic personality if there ever was one. But even that, combined with what Shedeur Sanders brought to the table, doesn’t seem like enough to woo Keisean Henderson away from H-town. Flipping him would be nothing short of a miracle for any school in the country. Could relative minnows Colorado make it happen? Well, we have seen miraculous stuff up in Boulder over the past couple of years. But maybe, just maybe, this is a bridge too far.