Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders has committed to the East-West Shrine Bowl ahead of the NFL Draft, the event’s X account announced Wednesday.
The Shrine Bowl — an annual charitable event and college football all-star game featuring NFL hopefuls — takes place at AT&T Stadium on Jan. 30. It offers pro teams a chance to scout prospects ahead of the NFL Draft in April.
Sanders, the 22-year-old son of Deion Sanders, is among the notable names projected to be selected in the first round of the 2025 draft. He’s ranked third among quarterbacks, at No. 23 overall, behind Miami’s Cam Ward and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe in The Athletic’s latest mock draft.
Sanders has passed for 3,222 yards with 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions, posting a career-high completion percentage (72.9 percent), during his 2024 campaign. The senior has also rushed for 77 yards and four TDs this season as the Buffaloes have gone 8-2 (6-1 in the Big 12).
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QB Shedeur Sanders (@ShedeurSanders) from @CUBuffsFootball has officially accepted his invite to the 100th East-West #ShrineBowl!#GoBuffs | #ShrineBowlWHOSNEXT 😎 pic.twitter.com/L4gNdOa5jj
— East-West Shrine Bowl (@ShrineBowl) November 20, 2024
What Sanders’ Shrine Bowl commitment means
Sanders is an impactful addition for the East-West Shrine Bowl. He’s a Dallas-Fort Worth native, and Shrine practices will be held at the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters at The Star in Frisco, Texas, just down the road from where Sanders grew up.
The Colorado star would be wise to take advantage of every opportunity during the draft process to make his case for QB1 status and as a first-round prospect. Maybe even more important than what happens on the field, the Shrine Bowl will be an important week for Sanders as he interviews with NFL teams to answer any questions and sell himself.
For those unfamiliar with the process, the East-West Shrine Bowl game is an all-star event for college prospects, but the real value for NFL evaluators is the week of practice leading up to the game (Jan. 25-28). I’m told the Shrine Bowl has several interesting modifications planned to enhance the week of practice for the quarterbacks in attendance. More details should be revealed soon. — Dane Brugler, NFL draft writer
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(Photo: John E. Moore III / Getty Images)
