Colorado football QB Shedeur Sanders gives NIL advice, speaks on whether he has any financial regrets

Colorado football QB Shedeur Sanders is behind just Bronny James in NIL valuation in college sports, so few athletes in football, basketball, gymnastics, you name it, have the insight the "Grown QB" does when it comes to being paid as a student-athlete.

Shedeur gave a valuable piece of advice to players everywhere while speaking to The Dallas Morning News: be prepared to pay your taxes and don't anticipate netting the number you are promised on anything you sign.

"Understand taxes are real," Shedeur prefaced before saying, 'You are going to have to pay taxes. You can have all the fun you want because you are going to have to get it out of your system, but know that taxes are not playing with you."

Shedeur went from Mississippi to Colorado and learned the hard way how real taxes are. While his payouts are higher in Boulder than they were in Jackson, so is Uncle Sam's cut.

Colorado football QB Shedeur Sanders to fellow athletes: Invest in yourself

Shedeur doesn't believe taxes, or really anything, should hold a student-athlete back from investing in his or herself as the NIL era progresses.

"The main thing in life, and the thing people don’t understand is invest in your stock," Shedeur said. "That is the only brand that you can control. If them people are losing your stocks, they don’t care about your money. You care about your money. If you invest in yourself and you fail, that’s on you. So that’s the main thing.

"Invest in yourself. Invest in what will make you successful."

Taking pointers from his father, Coach Prime, who has been one of the most empowering head coaches in all of college sports when it comes to cashing out on one's brand despite questionable claims that Colorado isn't an ATM, Shedeur clearly wants to see his peers thrive.