Colorado football HC Deion Sanders sends strong message on Caleb Williams
Colorado football HC Deion Sanders was highly complimentary of USC quarterback and likely No. 1 overall 2024 NFL draft pick Caleb Williams -- though he also was cautious about Williams ending up in a cold-weather climate.
“Let me tell you something that I have a problem with,” Deion said to "The Mad Dog" Chris Russo (h/t Denver Sports). “And this kid can flat-out play, I think he’s the best one on the board this year for sure. A kid that’s coming from California for the last couple of years, right? And went to Oklahoma. That’s not terribly cold. Chicago’s cold, man. You gotta think about that kind of stuff when you’re taking a young man. Like see, when you take a guy from Ohio State and you bring him to Chicago, OK, I could understand that. But from California to Chicago? Not only that, they added what? One or two more games in the NFL. Seventeen games. Come on, man. You gotta factor in that stuff. That stuff matters.”
Coach Prime added that he has the same worries about his son Shedeur.
“Like, I don’t want my kid [Shedeur] going nowhere cold next year," Coach Prime prefaced before saying, "He grew up in Texas. He played in Jackson, played in Colorado. Season’s over before it gets cold in Colorado. I’m just thinking way ahead. I don’t want that for him.”
Caleb Williams not seen to be as mentally strong as Colorado football QB Shedeur Sanders
Essentially Sports' Pankti Parmar believes Williams wouldn't be able to handle the pressure that Shedeur faced during his Colorado career.
"(Stewart's) interrogation instantly reminded each fan of the picture that earned Caleb Williams some unwanted criticism: him crying while hugging his mother after a horrible loss," Parmar prefaced before saying, "Sheduer Sanders, on the other hand, showed up each time, even with injuries. Which is why Stewart called him, 'The dog and the leader.' This is exactly what Deion Sanders also communicated, just in a different fashion."
To be fair, most QBs would have long-term health problems with what Shedeur faced in 2023 behind a lackluster Buffs offensive line. How Williams would've fared isn't totally clear, but it's a safe bet he wouldn't be a consensus No. 1 overall pick if he was behind CU's OL.