The Weekender: Deion and Shedeur Sanders Become College Football Villains, Bowl Opt-Outs Could Be on the Way Out, and New Info on EA Sports College Football 25 Cover Athletes

By George Eisner on May 5, 2024 at 2:45 pm
Colorado Buffaloes head football coach Deion Sanders and his son Shedeur Sanders
Mark J. Rebilas — USA TODAY Sports
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Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what's next.

Deion and Shedeur Sanders Become the Newest Villains in College Football

Colorado football had a microscope on it from the moment Deion Sanders arrived in Boulder to serve as head coach following three years of success at Jackson State. Coach Prime intensified the scrutiny and spectacle of the situation by immediately claiming he would bring "Louis luggage" to the Buffaloes' roster — along with his sons Shedeur and Shilo — to replace "this mess" he inherited prior to last season. Colorado ended the year with a 4-8 record that included a 1-8 showing in conference play and a six game losing streak to conclude the 2023 campaign.

But while many fans have had a chuckle at the expense of Neon Deion and his children, most wishes of downfall have come from a place of casual distaste for the NIL era's drawbacks rather than outright disdain. That changed this week after The Athletic released an article detailing how Coach Prime seemed to run his former defensive back Xavier Smith off the team. Shedeur then offered a direct response to the article on social media.

In a now-deleted tweet, Colorado wide receiver Kaleb Mathis replied to Shedeur's comments with a practice video of Smith getting burned during a pass drill. Smith's Austin Peay teammate Jaheim Ward responded to the wideout in defense of his fellow defensive back.

A Colorado football fan took it upon themselves to post Ward's own stats from the previous season, and then Coach Prime decided to insert himself into the middle of this beef.

Ward ultimately got the last laugh in the exchange when he ratioed the Sanders family with a reminder that he actually finished the year with more pass breakups than what Shilo recorded.

Coach Prime piling on the chastising of a student athlete — that his family initiated — drew intense criticism from college football journalists and personalities across all levels of the sport.

Colorado opens its season at home against FCS powerhouse North Dakota State on August 29th.

New NIL Contracts Could Phase Out Bowl Opt-Outs

Speaking of displeasure with the NIL era, players opting out of bowl games has significantly watered down anticipation for college football's postseason in recent years beyond the sport's playoff games. Ohio State fans need look no further than the the most recent Cotton Bowl to find that truth.

Thankfully, as the legislation surrounding national NIL standards continues to take shape, speculation now exists that a structure including direct contractual agreements with schools could phase out student athletes declining to play in the postseason.

While it remains important to look out for the long-term health of NFL prospects relative to collegiate postseason competition, incentivizing players to stick around for bowl games hardly seems like a losing situation for any of the parties involved.

Details on the EA Sports College Football 25 Athlete(s)

As fans anticipate the release the first college football video game in over a decade, new details have emerged on the status of EA Sports College Football 25's potential cover art.

Multiple versions of the game appear set for release, which will include multiple cover athletes from a variety of power conferences that all play different positions. That also means no current or former coaches, no mascots, and no more previous Heisman winners — assuming they have moved on to the NFL.

A Buckeye never appeared on the cover of any previous NCAA Football titles. Perhaps TreVeyon Henderson, J.T. Tuimoloau, or someone else will change that soon.

ICYMI

Post-Transfer Portal Position-by-Position Football Roster Breakdown

Now that the transfer portal has finally closed this week, Dan Hope offers a full breakdown of each Ohio State position group and how the depth chart could potentially shake out heading into the summer.

Ramzy Nasrallah: The Stark Beauty of Lost Things

Nobody enjoyed seeing Cade Stover depart for the NFL more than Ramzy Nasrallah. In his weekly column last Wednesday, the Eleven Warriors veteran speaks on his longing for a return to the high blocking standards previously in place for the Buckeyes' tight end room from the last time the program won a game in the College Football Playoff.

The Eleven Dubcast Talks to Former Ohio State Wide Receiver Chris Fields

Johnny and I finally did an interview this week for the first time since yours truly took over the Dubcast for Andy Vance last year. We welcomed former OSU receiver Chris Fields to the show for a discussion on his heroics in the infamous 2012 Purdue game as well as his upcoming Field House Fairway Fore Hope charity golf classic that features several Buckeye football alumni and coaches.

What’s Next

  • Women's Golf: NCAA Regionals, Monday-Wednesday
  • Baseball: vs. Eastern Michigan University, Tuesday, 6 p.m. ET
  • Softball: Big Ten Tournament Opening Round, Wednesday-Saturday, Times TBA
  • Men's & Women's Track: Big Ten Championships, Friday-Sunday
  • Men's Tennis: vs. Mississippi State, Saturday, Noon ET
  • 118 Days: Ohio State football's season opener vs. Akron
  • 209 Days: The Game
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