Shilo Sanders' Savvy DM Request Was Smarter Than His Critics Want You To Believe | Barrett Sallee

Colorado lost a medium-sized village - including former 5-star defensive back Cormani McClain - to the transfer portal when it opened on Tuesday, and the criticism of the program and head coach Deion Sanders lit up almost instantaneously. College football fans everywhere on X/Twitter said that the experiment didn’t work, the program is in shambles and it’s time to try something new.

It turned into a five-alarm fire on Tuesday evening when defensive back Shilo Sanders posted on his Instagram story that defensive players in the transfer portal should contact him and offensive players should reach out to his brother/starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders. 

Don’t believe me? Check out the replies and quote tweets to this:

It’s extremely sad and disappointing that people - including some in our industry - would react in this way. 

Why wouldn’t the Sanders brothers open up their DMs to potential Colorado players? These are two dudes who appear in national commercials for products not even remotely related to sports. They are celebrities who cashed in on the new NIL rules due in part to their status as star Colorado players under the leadership of their father - one of the most famous football players of his generation. It would just be bad business.

In the age of social media, players themselves are the best recruiters. Not only will the Sanders brothers get some DMs from this, star defensive back Travis Hunter will. Coaches on that staff will. It should kickstart a campaign - even if it’s minor in nature - to stack the roster. This isn’t the recruiting strategy. It’s part of a recruiting strategy that takes place around the country.

The uproar over Shilo Sanders’ post was lazy. Why? Because one look in the transfer portal will show that nine former Buffaloes players were in it. Did it ever occur to critics of the post that maybe - just maybe - it was simply and attempt to get players to come to Boulder on the first day of the spring portal window? 

Pasadena, CA - Colorado coach Deon Sanders talks with his son, Colorado defensive back Shilo Sanders, before the game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Nah … that would make too much sense. 

Let’s connect some dots that actually should be connected.

Four of those Colorado players in the portal are offensive linemen. The Buffaloes offensive line finished 132nd - next-to-last - in the country in sacks allowed per game last year with 4.67. It was tied for 120th in the nation in tackles for loss allowed per game at 7.17. According to the Associated Press, Deion Sanders cut more than 50 players and 20 left on their own by the end of last season’s spring practice session. 

Could this be the same thing? That’s much more likely, at least for several players who will be leaving Boulder.

RELATED: Deion Sanders Still Making Noise As He Enters Critical Season For Colorado, With Transfer Portal Work Needed

With all of this said, will Colorado take another step forward this year? That’s a different conversation for a different day. I was not one of the people who fell into the "3-0" trap last season with the Buffaloes rattled off three straight wins to start the season. In reality, the 4-8 record was a massive step forward for a program that had only one win in 2022 - and I said that since the jump.

It would be irresponsible for the Sanders brothers not to take advantage of the current state of Colorado football, and it’s sad that some people - for whatever reason - jumped all over them like bees on honey.