Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is embarking on his second NFL season, but on Saturday he was back in the place where he ascended to stardom. Sanders was in Boulder to receive his degree as a graduate from the University of Colorado.
He majored in sociology, according to his Colorado bio, while furthering his football career under his father, Buffs head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. Before putting on his cap and gown, Shedeur Sanders gave a nod to his dad with the way he laid out his graduation fit.
Browns Pro Bowl QB Shedeur Sanders is graduating from the University of Colorado with a degree in Sociology and will walk at the ceremony.
Sanders, 24, had his jersey retired at Colorado and will now return to campus to officially earn his degree after his rookie year in the… pic.twitter.com/6eDT7LWmii
— Preme Football (@premefootball) May 2, 2026
It’s common for athletes to graduate after launching their professional careers. Sanders is now among that group.
He left Colorado after the 2024 season. The Dallas native spent two seasons with the Buffs after transferring from Jackson State, where he also played for his dad and won a pair of SWAC championships.
Together, Deion and Shedeur helped return Colorado football to relevance. While the Buffs’ hot start was quickly extinguished in 2023, they won nine games in 2024. The second time around, they ranked as high as No. 16 in the AP Poll and, for a while, were in the mix to reach the Big 12 title game. That season, Colorado finished No. 23 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and Shedeur Sanders clocked out with 4,134 passing yards, 37 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions and a 74% completion percentage.
Last spring, the program retired his No. 2 jersey, plus the No. 12 jersey of Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, a two-way star the Jacksonville Jaguars selected No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Shedeur securing his degree 🎓@ShedeurSanders x #GoBuffspic.twitter.com/1xLUFdQ7QY
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) May 2, 2026
Sanders wrapped his playing days on campus having thrown a total of 64 touchdowns against just 13 picks. In 2024, he was second nationally behind Miami’s Cam Ward in touchdown passes and fourth behind Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, Ward and Syracuse’s Kyle McCord in passing yards.
The Tennessee Titans picked Ward No. 1 overall in last year’s draft, and the New York Giants grabbed Dart with the 25th pick. Sanders, meanwhile, fell all the way to the fifth round, in which the Browns scooped him up.
Despite his surprising plummet to Day 3 of the draft, Sanders wound up starting the final seven games of the Browns’ 2025 campaign.
He helped them pick up three of their five wins on the season; however, he didn’t run away with the job. Sanders’ completion rate took a nose dive as he made the jump to the pros, sinking below 60%. He also threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (seven).
Now he’s competing for the full-time QB1 gig in Cleveland, where he’s up against Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel. First-year head coach Todd Monken will make the final call.
For now, Sanders is in the race. Saturday offered a respite from that position battle, as he graduated from Colorado.