On Tuesday, Colorado football received a disheartening ranking in the Big 12 Media Preseason Poll, clocking in at the 11th spot, finishing only ahead of Arizona State, BYU, Houston, Cincinnati, and Baylor. After a 4-8 campaign, their first with head coach Deion Sanders and last in the Pac-12, the Buffaloes received little love from the media members covering their newest conference home. However, that doesn’t mean their star quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, son of the polarizing coach Sanders, didn’t receive his flowers. Alongside the conference’s preseason poll, its media members also revealed their All-Big 12 team members, headlined by Sanders at the quarterback spot.
Sanders is not the only Colorado Buffaloes player to earn All-Big 12 preseason honors, with corner Travis Hunter and defensive lineman BJ Green II also making the list. Hunter snagged three interceptions last season while also tallying 30 tackles and 57 receptions as a two-way superstar. Meanwhile, Green, a transfer from Arizona State, collected 39 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, and six sacks last year.
Colorado Football QB Shedeur Sanders: 2024 Preseason Offensive All-Big 12 Team Quarterback
Despite failing to receive decent protection from his offensive line in 2023, his first with Colorado football, Shedeur Sanders, posted efficient passing stats in a lost 4-8 season. Sanders finished the year completing nearly 70% of his passes for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns against three picks. He finished in the top five in the conference regarding passing yards, pass completion percentage, passing touchdowns, and passing efficiency rating. Sanders never threw more than one interception in any game last season while registering four or more touchdowns on four separate occasions.
Plenty of potential from our #Big12FB Media Preseason Team 👀 pic.twitter.com/S7nEna051D
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) July 2, 2024
Sanders spent the previous two seasons playing for the Jackson State Tigers of the SWAC, winning the Jerry Rice Award in 2021 and the Deacon Jones Trophy the following season. The uber-efficient Sanders finished his Jackson State tenure with 70 passing touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also completed 68% of his passes.
2024 Preseason Offensive All-Big 12 Team Quarterback: Other Deserving Candidates
Colorado football’s Shedeur Sanders is one of many high-end quarterbacks in the Big 12 next season. Alongside Sanders, Utah’s Cam Rising, Arizona’s Noah Fifita, and Kansas’ Jalon Daniels all enter 2024 with high expectations. After missing the entirety of last year with injury, Rising looks to lead the high-powered Utah Utes to a third straight double-digit winning season with him at the helm. From 2021 to 2022, Rising threw for 46 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. Meanwhile, Fifita had a true breakout campaign last year, tallying 25 passing touchdowns on 2,869 passing yards while completing 72.4% of his passes. Daniels also deserves recognition, posting a 162 quarterback rating or better in the last two seasons.
A big season from dual-threat quarterback Avery Johnson of Kansas State could also challenge Sanders for the title of the best quarterback in the Big 12. Johnson shinned in limit action last year, throwing for five touchdowns and no picks. He also rushed for seven touchdowns and 296 yards on 52 attempts.
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