Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is following in his father’s footsteps by signing a name, image, and likeness deal with Nike that covers both footwear and apparel.
The details of the deal, which was announced on Wednesday, were not made public.
Nike’s football division shared a picture on Instagram showing Sanders after a game, holding up a watch on his left wrist. The caption on the photo of him in his No. 2 Buffaloes jersey said, “You know what Time it is,” with a Nike swoosh below. In the comments, the company wrote: “Now it’s a family business.”
Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s father, was known for wearing Nikes during his Hall of Fame career in football and baseball. He switched to Under Armour a few years ago but returned to Nike last year. Colorado is a Nike school.
The announcement came just before Colorado’s season opener against FCS powerhouse North Dakota State.
Shedeur Sanders is coming off a season where he set a school record with 3,230 passing yards and had a program-best completion percentage of 69.3%.
However, he was sacked 52 times and missed the season finale due to a back fracture. The pressure on him led the Buffaloes to make changes to their offensive line during the offseason.
New North Dakota State coach Tim Polasek praised Sanders’ performance in the pocket.
“He’s the best player that NDSU has played yet,” Polasek said. “It’s exciting. Our fans should be excited and should appreciate they get to see … a first-round draft pick at quarterback get to play against the Bison.”
Several early NFL mock drafts have Sanders projected to be picked in the top 10, along with his teammate, cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter.
