CBS Sports' Shehan Jeyarajah had the receipts ready to defend former Colorado football safety Xavier Smith after Shedeur Sanders called him "very mid at best" and claimed he didn't remember the ex-Buff; this in response to Smith's complaints about how Shedeur's father, Deion Sanders, handled the roster turnover following his December 2022 hiring.
"Notably, Xavier Smith went on to earn FCS Freshman All-American honors playing DB at Austin Peay while Colorado finished 127th nationally in passing defense and 98th in coverage grade," Jeyarajah prefaced before saying, "Even if he didn't start, hard to argue he wouldn't have provided quality depth as a freshman."
Smith told The Athletic's Max Olson that he was upset about how Coach Prime cut him and others from the team, painting the picture that it moved him to tears.
"He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves," Smith prefaced before saying, "The way he did it, it could’ve been done with a little more compassion. I was actually getting mad, like tears coming to my eyes. Because, bro, you never even tried to get to know me."
Analyst: Xavier Smith story was out of news cycle until Shedeur Sanders insulted former Colorado football player
FOX Sports radio host and former NFL OG Geoff Schwartz, someone no one can accuse of being a fan of Deion and Co., believes that Shedeur brought the Smith story back into the news cycle after it had previously run its course over a 24-hour span.
"The story was basically out of the news cycle in 24 hours until the starting QB added his commentary," Schwartz prefaced before saying, "And most of the response I saw was rational. 'This happens at every program.'"
Smith's words were not even the first time Coach Prime's transition from the 2022 roster to his own was highlighted, but Shedeur's cheap shot will definitely stay relevant long after his Colorado career is over; particularly around the 2025 NFL draft.