Analyst attacks star Colorado transfer: ‘Serious immaturity’

OutKick's David Hookstead attacked the star Colorado football transfer of the Buffaloes' 2023 class, saying he showed "serious immaturity" against Nebraska (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
OutKick's David Hookstead attacked the star Colorado football transfer of the Buffaloes' 2023 class, saying he showed "serious immaturity" against Nebraska (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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OutKick’s David Hookstead attacked star Colorado football transfer Shedeur Sanders for his behavior before the Buffs’ home opener against Nebraska on September 9 — specifically the quarterback flashing a watch in the face of a Cornhuskers player after Matt Rhule and his team gathered on CU’s Buffalo logo at midfield.

“This move should be below Shedeur Sanders’ stature,” Hookstead wrote. “The young man has been unstoppable in his first two games with the Colorado Buffaloes. This move should be below Shedeur Sanders’ stature. Why did he feel the need to flash his wristwatch to someone? That just screams that he’s insecure and needs attention. It’s clown behavior and the man who is the face of the program should be better than that. Don’t ruin an incredible game with childish and immature behavior.”

Sanders is 21-years-old. This writer most definitely displayed “clown behavior” at that age, and there’s a strong chance Hookstead did too. Sanders never got physical with anyone and didn’t look like he intended to either. Buffs fans should appreciate having a leader who won’t take disrespect in any form; not condemn a kid for exhibiting behavior fitting of a star who’s not used to the meteoric spotlight the Colorado football program is experiencing.

Colorado football QB Shedeur Sanders took serious offense to Matt Rhule’s ‘extreme disrespect’

Sanders spoke out against Rhule and the Huskers who gathered at midfield prior to the game during the postgame presser following a dominant 36-14 victory for CU in their Week 2 home opener, calling their actions “extreme disrespect.”

“It was extremely personal, we got out there and warmup and you got the head coach of the other team standing on the middle of the Buff,” Sanders said (h/t Denver Sports). “A couple players do it, it’s fine—enjoy the scenery. But when you got the whole team trying to disrespect it, I’m not going for that at all—so I went in there and disrupted it. They knew off rip, the Buffaloes mean a lot to me. That’s what I was saying pregame and I knew it was extreme disrespect.

“He said a lot of things about my pops, the program, but now that he wants to act nice, I don’t respect that because you’re hating on another man, you shouldn’t do that. All respect was gone for them and their program. I like playing against their DC, but the respect level wasn’t there.”

Again, in football, if you sense disrespect, you do something about it. As much as physical advantages determine outcomes, so do mental edges. If Sanders felt like defending the honor of his program was worth making a scene that roughly thousands of frat boys across the country make every weekend — and they have a far less convincing “do you know who my dad is?” argument than Shedeur –, then if the results on the field follow, let him be.

Definitely don’t go after the Colorado football star in a way that is clickbait-y at best, or insidious by design at worst.