Latest news with #Pac-12MediaDay
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Deion Sanders health update: Coach Prime is ‘feeling well' but return timeline still uncertain
Deion Sanders' uncertain return to Colorado raises concerns after son's cryptic health message (Getty Images) Deion Sanders' absence from the Colorado Buffaloes' annual summer football camps has sparked concern and curiosity across the college football world. Known for his energetic presence and undeniable charisma, the 57-year-old head coach has instead remained at his estate in Canyon, Texas, dealing with an unspecified health issue. While the University of Colorado has begun hosting its traditional summer camps without their high-profile coach, Sanders' quiet retreat has left fans and followers wondering when — or even if — he'll return to Boulder anytime soon. Deion Sanders health update : Son's cryptic message sparks concern about Coach Prime's current condition Deion Sanders, famously known as 'Coach Prime,' has been a regular and vital figure at these camps, appearing in both 2023 and earlier this year. His involvement isn't just symbolic — it's part of his official duties at CU. His image is used in promotions, and his presence typically brings both credibility and enthusiasm to the event. Yet this year's notable absence has gone unexplained by the university, with no clear word on when he'll be back. The only public update has come from his eldest son, Deion Sanders Jr., during a YouTube livestream from their Texas estate. 'He'll tell y'all soon enough what he going through, what he went through,' Deion Jr. said. He assured viewers that his father was 'feeling well,' but also admitted uncertainty about their return to Colorado. 'When we get back in Boulder, I don't know. I'm waiting until my dad leaves. When he leaves, then I'll go. Until then, I'm gonna sit here with him.' This vague but concerning update follows a last-minute cancellation of Sanders' keynote appearance at the Sickle Cell Disease Research & Educational Symposia on June 8. The Foundation for Sickle Cell Research, which had booked Sanders as their headline speaker, announced the change on social media, stating, 'Due to an unavoidable last-minute scheduling change, our originally scheduled Foundation Keynote Speaker, Deion Sanders 'Coach Prime,' is unable to attend. ' NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson was brought in as a replacement. The silence surrounding Sanders' health has only intensified interest. This isn't the first time medical issues have sidelined him. In 2023, he missed the Pac-12 Media Day due to complications from blood clots in his legs — a condition that had already led to the amputation of two toes and significant surgeries on his left leg. Colorado's athletic trainer, Lauren Askevold, has been with him in Texas, continuing the care she's provided since 2021. Hints about his condition emerged during a recent podcast with former NFL star Asante Samuel. 'What I'm dealing with right now is at whole nother level,' Sanders said. He also noted that he's lost around 14 pounds but remained optimistic about bouncing back. In the meantime, CU's football camps have carried on, including sessions for high school players, recent graduates, and younger athletes. A women's clinic is also scheduled later this week. Yet with Sanders still out of the picture, the energy feels incomplete — and questions remain unanswered. For now, fans can only wait and hope the coach's health improves enough for him to return to the spotlight he has so naturally embraced. Also Read: Drake Maye reveals why Stefon Diggs is already winning hearts as an 'awesome' Patriots teammate
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders: The choice the NY Giants might have to make at No. 3
Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders: The choice the NY Giants might have to make at No. 3 The questions came up countless times this week at the NFL Annual Meeting, and from all corners of the league. Team executives. Coaches. Agents. Media. Even the most respected insiders in this business were working the rooms seeking out intel of which only an extremely intimate circle around Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll truly have the knowledge. Advertisement If Colorado teammates Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are on the board in three weeks when the New York Giants are on the clock in the NFL Draft, what will they do? What's best for the long-term success of the franchise, and who can have the biggest impact now? Which player - the quarterback with the famous last name and a history of lifting two programs to new heights or the record-setting, two-way Heisman Trophy-winning star intent on dominating both sides of the ball - would the Giants choose with the No. 3 selection of the first round? In some ways, the answer is simple. It's also admittedly complicated. And this reality is also true for Giants brass: it's far from decided. Advertisement Here's the well-timed catch (and pitch) for Hunter and Sanders: their time in the Pro Day spotlight comes Friday afternoon in Boulder during what Colorado is billing as its "NFL Showcase," which will be attended by a significant contingent of Giants decision makers, including Schoen. Miami quarterback Cam Ward has been widely projected to go to the Tennessee Titans at No. 1 overall, while the Cleveland Browns - despite also searching for a quarterback of the future - are believed to be eyeing Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 2. Jul 21, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shadeur Sanders (left) and receiver Travis Hunter during Pac-12 Media Day at Resorts World Las Vegas. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports That would leave the Giants in position to take the 23-year-old Sanders if they see him as their quarterback of the future, or the 21-year-old Hunter, the Heisman Trophy-winning two-way star who some scouts believe is the best cornerback and the best wide receiver in the Class of 2025. Advertisement The entire league continues to guess on what the Browns and Giants will do at Nos. 2 and 3. Both teams are doing their best to not be completely transparent, despite what so many think they know. The same three players have been mentioned for both teams for months, but in speaking with numerous sources in recent days, nobody knows for certain. Sanders is coming off a season where he led Colorado to its first nine-win season since 2016, broke the program record for passing yards in a season (4,134), finished with the highest single-season completion percentage (74%) and threw the most touchdowns in a single season (37). He is not going to draw oohs and aahs with his arm like Justin Herbert or his wheels like Lamar Jackson, or run people over like Josh Allen. That should not allow what Sanders can't do to lead you away from what he does really well. In some ways, Sanders is a quarterback from a different age of the NFL. He's a pocket passer who, because of his DNA, is downgraded in part because he is not QB Prime despite being the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. Advertisement That should still play in today's game, even if teams spend so much time drooling over unicorns at the position with physical talent to drool over. Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) with wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Longtime ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes the Giants and a pairing with Shedeur makes sense in the Big Apple. Among the reasons: it could work in a similar way things just clicked for Eli Manning with Big Blue and another famous NFL father in Archie who was also a big part of his journey. "You can still win from the pocket," Kiper said. "So, I think, that's still something that Shedeur knows how to do and he does very effectively. Shedeur, also, with Deion, and same thing when you think about Eli with Archie, I think being able to handle pressure and expectations, he does that very well. This whole circus atmosphere people think will come with Shedeur is ridiculous, it's not gonna happen." Advertisement The Giants see Hunter as a prospect who can change the both sides of the ball, likely with his top priority at corner and an uncommon ability to contribute right away on offense, those familiar with the team's thinking throughout the evaluation process told and The Record. The difference here would be not just a physical challenge but a mental one for Hunter to learn the defense AND the offense as a rookie, as Daboll noted earlier this week. That has nothing to do with a lack of intelligence, because by most accounts, Hunter is very sharp. It's not a talent issue, either, with NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah saying: "Travis Hunter is like someone went to the Philadelphia Eagles and took Devonta Smith and Darius Slay, spun him around in a circle and they came out as the same human being." Only three NFL players have started at WR and CB in the same game since 1980: Antonio Cromartie (2012), Champ Bailey (2000) and Deion Sanders (1996), the latter two having been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only player to do so more than once was Sanders, the head coach for Hunter and Shedeur at both Colorado and Jackson State. Regardless of position, just three players have played 10 or more snaps of both offense and defense in the same game since 2012, per NFL Research. Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Travis Hunter (12) during the second quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images "I would say that the player that you want to take when you're selecting that high is, does he have to help you right away? I think you just have to have a great plan for that player and you think that player is really going to help your organization," Daboll said. "If that's being a backup for a little while, then that's being a backup for a little while. If you think that's where you want to take that player - If it's to come in and start and play a bunch of plays - that's great too." Advertisement The Giants have done extensive homework on all the quarterbacks, including Sanders, with Schoen and his top personnel aides spending time on campus in Boulder at practice. They'll be back Friday and again once more for their private workout with Sanders. "The thing that I love about Shedeur is the poise that he plays with and the accuracy and the ball placement – those are two things that I think really translate in his game," ESPN analyst Jordan Reid told and The Record. This is also an opportunity to be on site with Hunter. The Giants have met with him previously, and until recently, the thought was that he would be off the board earlier. That could still be the case. Nothing is settled. "You want to put the player in there [on the team] and say, 'Hey, here is our franchise quarterback for the next 15 years,'" Schoen said. "There's got to be one available and they've got to check a lot of boxes. ... if [the player] matches up and the value is right, we can look at many positions and take that guy." Advertisement The two likeliest will be on the field Friday where they became first-round picks together. Giants brass will be watching closely from the sideline, gaining more clarity so that when the clock is ticking, Schoen and Daboll will be ready to turn in the name and embrace the biggest addition to the franchise this offseason. Will it be Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders, or an unforeseen curveball? Only time will tell. This article originally appeared on Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders: The choice Giants might have to make
