Whenever he can, Shilo Sanders checks his dad’s phone to see which kid is featured on the lock screen.
“You know, he changes it, but whatever it is on his phone, I’m still the No. 1 son,” Sanders said with a smile at Colorado’s annual media day on Friday. “Whoever makes him the happiest that week is his screen saver, but usually itap me, I think.
“Itap been me for a while now.”
The new-look Colorado football team has been transformed by Shilo’s father, head coach Deion Sanders. And, Shilo’s younger brother, Shedeur, has quickly become a face of the team as the starting quarterback.
The talented and charismatic Shilo could be a significant key to CU’s success, as well – and might actually land on the lock screens of some Buffs fans at some point.
A fifth-year junior safety, Shilo spent two seasons at South Carolina before transferring to play for his father at Jackson State for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Now, he’s aiming to excel at CU and help the Buffaloes win.
“Shilo’s a dawg, man,” coach Sanders said. “Shilo is a leader of men. Shilo is not shy with words. He’s practicing his butt off. He’s trying to get everything you see out there. But he’s doing his job.”
Shilo has a reputation for bringing energy to the field and being a trash-talker, but he appears to back it up with his play and his preparation. He’s one of several defensive backs who gather to watch film before meeting with coaches, his father said.
“They’re just taking it serious,” coach Sanders said. “They know they only have a couple years in this thing, a few more years and they’re really taking it serious. They want to be dominant. They don’t just want to win. I’m proud of him, not only as a coach but as a father.”
Growing up, Shilo played a variety of positions, even quarterback as a youth. In high school, where his father was an assistant coach, he played receiver, returned kicks and was a cornerback on defense.
A three-star prospect coming out high school in 2019, he chose South Carolina. He redshirted in 2019, but played 13 games overall for the Gamecocks, recording 32 tackles as he transitioned to safety.
“(At South Carolina), that was really my time to learn defense and concepts and I thank the coaching staff there who taught me the basics of playing safety,” he said. “I took that to Jackson State, got my swag down there and here I’m just gonna put everything together.”
At JSU in 2021, he was second-team All-SWAC after recording 39 tackles and four interceptions. Recovering from an ACL tear, he missed the first half of the 2022 season, but still had 20 tackles and an interception in seven games.
CU defensive coordinator/safeties coach Charles Kelly recruited Shilo out of high school and said he’s excited to finally coach him.
“He’s worked really hard this summer,” Kelly said. “I’ve challenged him to do some certain things, what I’ve said what I believe Power Five draftable safeties should be, and he’s worked harder at them. He’s very smart. He’s tough. But it’ll be interesting to see how he does going into the fall.”
Shilo said Kelly is “the perfect guy to play for” because of his track record of sending players to the NFL.
“Coach Kelly knows exactly what you need to do to go achieve whatever goal you want on defense,” he said.
The primary goal is to earn a starting spot among a talented group of safeties that includes fellow JSU transfer Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, Arkansas transfer Myles Slusher and third-year Buff Trevor Woods. Shilo has the ability to be the best of the bunch, as he can make plays in pass coverage while also being a hard hitter who can play close to the line of scrimmage.
“I can buzz down and play the box, too, but I like getting that ball and being rangey,” he said. “I want to be a guy that does it all. I want to be a good blitzer. I want to just contribute everything to this team this year.”
Itap a team that will be in the national spotlight all year and Shilo is eager to get rolling.
“Everybody’s going to be making plays this season,” he said. “Especially with the stage we’ve got, everybody’s going to be watching and we’re all ready. My dad, Coach Prime, he’s saying, ‘We coming.’ We’re here now. We’re ready to go.”
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