Colorado safety Shilo Sanders appears to have avoided a season-ending injury in the Buffaloes’ Week 2 loss to Nebraska.
Sanders left the game in the first half with a forearm injury and his dad, coach Deion Sanders, confirmed Tuesday at his weekly news conference that Shilo had surgery on his right forearm on Sunday.
Deion, who posted pictures of himself with Shilo at a hospital to social media on Monday, opened his news conference by saying Shilo said after waking up from surgery that he’d be ready to play in Week 3 against Colorado State. While that timeline may be just a bit too optimistic (and aided by some sedatives), it may not be that far off, according to his father.
“Knowing Shilo, Shilo has God in his corner I’m telling you, I’ve never seen anything like it, the healing ability. I think Shilo was out four, maybe four-and-a-half months with a knee surgery. That’s how quickly he came back. Then coming back from a shoulder surgery as well. Shilo, he has the hand of God on him. So I would say two to three weeks.”
Shilo transferred to Colorado from Jackson State along with his brother Shedeur when Deion Sanders was hired as Colorado’s coach ahead of the 2023 season. He led the team with 70 tackles across 11 games in 2023 and had an interception that he returned 80 yards for a touchdown. Through parts of two games in 2024, Sanders is fourth on the team with 11 tackles.
Colorado (1-1) plays its in-state rival Saturday night before beginning Big 12 play. A win against the Rams is likely imperative for the Buffs’ bowl hopes. Colorado has conference games against four teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25 along with three other Big 12 opponents who made bowl games a season ago.
