Colorado football transfer Will Sheppard, a former four-year Vanderbilt receiver, will be a decoy for quarterback Shedeur Sanders and fellow WR Travis Hunter -- this, at least, according to Denver Sports' Jake Shapiro.
"Sanders set the record for passing yards in a season in school history and fell just shy of the program’s passing touchdown mark," Shapiro wrote. "He’ll have a chance to replicate that season and do even better, with more time in the pocket and less chance of being hit thanks to some giant bodies up front that his father has added to the roster. Both Sanders and Hunter should be Heisman candidates next season and the addition of Sheppard gives one another weapon and the other decoy to take some pressure off."
The Heisman talk feels premature for anyone from the University of Colorado, but having Sheppard will undoubtedly give more separation for his star teammates like Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr., as Shapiro pointed out.
Coach Prime convincing players to end their careers with Colorado football
Coach Prime has surprised again on the recruiting trail, with Sheppard's commitment being a bit of a shocker. SEC schools like Auburn and Ole Miss seemed to be the most likely landing spots for the Mandeville, Louisiana native, but Colorado continues the trend of bringing on star transfers from the Deep South, like Hunter (Suwanee, Georgia) and LaVonta Bentley (Birmingham, Alabama), and his native Florida; a list of transfers that includes Horn, Xavier Weaver, and Jordan Domineck, the latter of whom would've been a bigger star had he stayed on the field.
Coach Prime seems to have a knack for having kids who've experienced the brightest of lights in the SEC to finish their careers in a more unique spotlight in this moment in Boulder, Colorado.
Not shocking, I suppose, for a coach who had multiple blue-chips, including the 2022 class's No. 1 overall recruit, playing at the FCS level in Jackson, Mississippi.