Heisman Winner Makes It Clear Why Deion Sanders Is ‘Really Struggling’ to Navigate Life at Colorado Without Shedeur Sanders

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Deion Sanders is facing plenty of questions at Colorado after the Buffaloes suffered a shocking 41-7 loss to Northwestern last week.

The loss was followed by Sanders announcing that several players would no longer be with the program after they were seen laughing in the locker room. The move has sparked debate, but Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III believes there is a bigger reason behind Sanders’ frustration.

RG3 Explains Deion Sanders’ Struggles Without Sons, Shedeur and Shilo

According to Griffin, Sanders is dealing with a major change at Colorado after losing his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, who played for him during his first two seasons with the Buffaloes.

Griffin believes Sanders’ coaching style is closely connected to the way he raised his sons.

“For Deion, he does approach coaching like parenting… Deion is really, in my opinion, struggling with not having his sons on the team because they have the same personality that he does when it comes to winning football games,” Griffin said.

Shedeur and Shilo played for their father at Colorado in 2023 and 2024. During that time, Shedeur became Colorado’s starting quarterback while Shilo played on the Buffaloes’ defense. The 2024 season also saw Colorado return to national relevance during its first year back in the Big 12.

Griffin believes having his sons around gave Sanders players who already understood his mindset and could help reinforce his expectations with the rest of the team. That dynamic changed after both players left Colorado and pursued NFL careers.

“They understood what the expectation was because they had lived with Deion for the entirety of their lives,” he added. “They understood what it took when you lost to come back from a loss and get a win. They understood what it meant if you’re in the middle of a blowout game not quitting and that game actually meaning something to you.”

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Griffin also pointed to the challenges of building a college football roster in the transfer portal era. Colorado has experienced significant roster turnover, requiring Sanders and his staff to integrate new players and establish the program’s expectations.

“And I think at times he struggles with some of these kids that come into his program that they have to bring in through the transfer portal because guys leave.”

One example is five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, who transferred to LSU. With players moving between programs more frequently, coaches can face additional challenges in building continuity within their rosters.

Griffin’s argument is that this could make it more difficult for Sanders to achieve the same level of buy-in from players who spent multiple seasons in his system.

“So you’re having to bring in these new transfer players, and how do you get them to buy into your philosophy and understand how to win, how to learn after a loss, and for it to actually mean something to you?” Griffin said.

“Deion is coaching for his legacy, for the betterment of his players so they can be great players, great men as they move forward,” Griffin continued. “So when he loses, he doesn’t look at that as a laughing matter. It’s not funny.”

The loss was followed by Sanders saying that ‘a few guys’ were no longer on the team after he criticized players’ postgame behavior, although he said the personnel decisions reflected a broader pattern of conduct, while Colorado later said roster changes had not yet been finalized.

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Griffin believes the situation shows just how different things are for Sanders without Shedeur and Shilo around. Colorado is 2-1 and now turns its attention to the Big 12, with the Buffaloes preparing for a road matchup against Baylor.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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