Deion Sanders And Jerry Rice's Sons To Square Up In September, 25 Years After Hall Of Fame Fathers Went To Battle

Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice had three of the greatest defensive back/wide receiver battles in NFL history throughout the 1990s. Both guys went on to become first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famers and whenever they lined up across from one another, it was a must-see event!

Wide receiver Jerry Rice #80 of the San Francisco 49ers talks with cornerback Deion Sanders #21 of the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas on November 12, 1995.(Photo by Joseph Patronite/Getty Images)

They played against each other 10 times throughout their careers and later ended up on the same team, but went head-to-head for the entire game just three times. There were three true one-on-one matchups between them.

The first meeting took place on Nov. 3, 1991 between the Falcons and 49ers. Rice had six catches for 44 yards. Sanders had a pick.

The second meeting took place on Dec. 11, 1993 between the same two teams. Rice got one back on Sanders. He went for 105 yards on six catches. Prime, however, had two picks and they were jawing at each other throughout the entire game.

The third meeting took place on Nov. 12, 1995 between the Cowboys and 49ers. Rice had five catches for 161 yards and a touchdown. Sanders did not record an interception.

Deion Sanders vs. Jerry Rice was (and is) a legendary matchup.

Now, about 25 years later, their sons are set to line up across from one another on the collegiate level.

Brenden Rice, son of Jerry, transferred to USC in early 2020 after beginning his career at Colorado and might be bigger and faster than his father. He, unlike his dad, prefers to stay silent while he is balling out instead of talking trash.

Jerry Rice talks with his son Brenden Rice in 2022.(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

Shilo Sanders, son of Deion, transferred to Colorado during the offseason after his father was named the head coach. Coach Prime recently called him a "dawg" and a "leader of men."

Deion Sanders talks with his son Shilo Sanders in 2019.(Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Trojans and Buffaloes will meet for the first time with Lincoln Riley and Sanders as head coach Sept. 30 in Boulder. It likely will also be the last because of conference realignment.

That Week 5 game serves as a major opportunity for Colorado to make a statement. It serves as a chance for USC to re-establish its dominance.

There will be quite a few storylines to watch in that game. One of them is the Sanders/Rice matchup.

Brenden plays receiver. Shilo plays safety.

Although that doesn't quite set things up in the same way as a receiver/corner might — there is a high probability that Shilo has to make a play on Brenden. At the very least, Deion and Jerry's sons will be on opposite sides of the ball in the same game. Pretty neat!