Shedeur Sanders Gives NIL Earnings Back to Teammates

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback (QB) Shedeur Sanders is capping off his senior season in style.

The team is still awaiting information regarding which bowl game they will play in, but they just finished their regular season in the best way possible. 

With a final score of 52-0, Sanders completed 34-of-41 passes for 438 yards and added another five touchdowns to his name. He also set the program record for the most single-season passing yards in school history (3,926) and helped his team achieve nine wins for the first time since 2016.

Now, Sanders is moving on to the NFL. However, he’s not finished cementing his legacy with Colorado.

After their shutout victory, Sanders shared that he plans to donate a portion of his Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) earnings to the university’s NIL collective.

“It’s basically setting them up for success, and everything in my power I personally can do, I’m going to do. I’m going to donate to the collective, for sure. It’s a tax write-off,” he joked. “So yeah, I’ll donate to the collective so I’ll make sure we have a super team next year.”

Sharing isn’t new to Sanders

There’s a good chance Sanders will keep his word, too. Just last week, he thanked Jordan Seaton, the team’s most accomplished offensive tackle, by gifting him a $200,000 Maybach. 

“He protect the backside so he had to get the bach,” Sanders said.

After Colorado’s Week 2 loss to Nebraska, Sanders made headlines by pointing out that while he was brought down six times that game, the Cornhuskers’ quarterback wasn’t sacked once.

However, the following week, he quickly cleared the air and complimented his offensive lineman.

“We all got together and understood, like, we’ve got to do it,” Sanders said. “Whenever everybody try to push each other against each other, flip words, do everything like that, and together, we all stayed as a family. We’re all as one. So that’s just a good example of knowing the media, regardless of what they try to paint or anything, you can’t put us against each other.“

Sanders’ massive NIL profile

Sanders is closing out the season with an NIL valuation of over $6 million, which is over one million more than the No.2 earner, Travis Hunter, his dual-threat teammate.

The signal caller’s portfolio includes endorsements with various well-known brands, including Beats by Dre, Google, Under Armour, Google, Gatorade, and Mercedes-Benz. 

Earlier this year, he became the first college athlete that Nike has partnered with, an ironic accomplishment considering his father, Deion Sanders, partnered with the same brand in the ‘90s.

As long as the 22-year-old stays focused on the big picture, he is in for an incredibly successful career, much like his father.

Victoria Jonach is an aspiring writer and media analyst fascinated by the activities players participate in off the football field. Growing up in New Jersey, she is a New York Giants fan and attends Rutgers University, pursuing a career in Journalism and Media Studies. She writes for FirstRoundMock.com covering anticipated draft picks and their acts of volunteerism, entrepreneurship, and other interests that shape these individuals.