Colorado's Shedeur Sanders Brings Back 'Watch' Celebration Before NDSU Face-Off
Shedeur Sanders is showing off the ice.
College football's grand return on Thursday (officially) will kick off with an evening slate of games, including Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes facing North Dakota State.
NDSU is embracing the role of the hopeful underdog, while Sanders' Buffs, who will be hosting at Folsom Field in Mile High, are being portrayed as the "big bad."
READ: 'College Football 25' Features Ridiculous Pro-Colorado Celebration
In their debut season of the Sanders Reboot, Shedeur, Coach Prime and the rest of Colorado football faced criticism for seemingly favoring marketability over performance, finishing 4-8.
TEMPE, Ariz. - Shedeur Sanders of the University of Colorado Buffs celebrates a touchdown run by pretending to flash his luxury watch in the second quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium on October 7, 2023. (Photo by Bruce Yeung/Getty Images)
Between the team's 3-0 start, and 1-8 collapse last season, the Buffaloes' off-field antics and over-the-top celebrations started to wear thin.
One of those celebrations was Sanders' "watch" move, which Shedeur pulled off ahead of Thursday's game against NDSU.
With a flick of the wrist and flash of the watch, Sanders pumped up the Buffalo fans during the pre-game — though others were begging Sanders to read the room a bit.
WATCH:
Celebrities on the sidelines.
Banning media reporters.
Abundance of social media hype.
Talking big game.
Colorado is positioned at the top of the 2024 college football adversaries.
Shedeur Sanders, son of Prime, wants to prove himself as a first-round quarterback. He's got the talent to boot — boasting a total of 97 passing touchdowns and 17 interceptions in his collegiate career. Last season, Sanders threw for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions. He was sacked 52 times behind a porous Colorado offensive line, making his achievements all the more impressive.
Former NFL player and Colorado Buffalos head coach Deion Sanders. (Photo by Sam Hodde/UFL/Getty Images)
By now, Shedeur is aware that the biggest questions are about his character rather than his play. The flashy behavior pays dividends for Shedeur's NIL but does him no favors with the draft profile.
Nonetheless, Shedeur's exceptional skill keeps him in the starting position for CU.
The Buffaloes face some of the weightiest expectations coming into this season. Critics are keeping a close eye on Shedeur's response to a good or bad season by the Buffaloes in 2024; waiting to see whether Sanders will thrive or sink, gracefully.
Let's see if Colorado can rebound from that awful late-season collapse. Season 2 of Deion Sanders kicks off.
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