Massive Colorado roster loss projected despite reports to contrary

The biggest possible Colorado football roster loss in 2024, Shedeur Sanders by way of declaring for the NFL draft, was projected by CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson — who projected Coach Prime’s youngest son to the Minnesota Vikings with the No. 16 overall pick.

“Talk to people around the league and the sense is that Sanders will return to Colorado, where he could end up as QB1 in the 2025 draft class,” Wilson prefaced before saying, “But since it’s early October and we’re not even at the halfway point of the college season, we’ll keep him in our mock draft 2.0 — especially since Kirk Cousins (who is playing some of the best football of his career) is in the final year of his deal.”

If Shedeur wants to go to the NFL, one has to imagine that Coach Prime would ultimately relent and give his son a blessing to pursue a pro career just as he did. For the sake of the Buffaloes, though, losing Sanders would be catastrophic for the program’s chances of competing in the Big 12 for their first year back since 2010; even if Coach Prime was able to land a difference-maker through the transfer portal.

Shedeur Sanders thriving despite limited protection, which is all the more proof he should return to Colorado football in 2024

It’s not a perfect measurement of offensive line efficiency, though it is a pretty good one: Colorado football ranks No. 2 in most sacks allowed during the 2023 season. Despite, this, Sanders ranks second in the nation in passing yards through the first five weeks of the campaign.

The connection of what to ponder about from there is a no-brainer: what would Sanders’s passing numbers look like if he had even a mid-level Power Five offensive line? What about a good one? What about an elite one, even?

That could come in 2024 after an offseason cycle from Coach Prime and Co. that focuses on the Buffs’ offense’s lone weakness; what with the running game awakening in a spectacular near-comeback in Week 5 against USC.