CBS Sports analyst says Shedeur Sanders would be a Heisman favorite at better program

The Colorado Buffaloes QB comes into 2024 looking to have a career year

Shedeur Sanders would be a Heisman favorite elsewhere? /

Shedeur Sanders recorded one of the lowest TD-to-INT ratios in the nation last season and returns to Colorado looking to improve. His performance captivated audiences nationwide, including CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate.

In a recent edition of Late Kick Live, Pate expressed his reservations about ranking Sanders among the top-five quarterbacks this season. Not because he doesn't believe in the talent of CU "Grown" QB, but the situation around him. He found it challenging to compare Sanders to the top players at the position, despite others expressing that he's a top two passer. 

"Do you think Shedeur Sanders is gonna be a top-five quarterback out of Colorado this year, out at Colorado?" Pate asked. "Do you think Shedeur Sanders, however you define this, is a top-five quarterback this year? Cause I have a problem with it. I have a problem even gauging it."

Despite Sanders's impressive individual statistics, Colorado finished the season with a disappointing 4-8 record. Pate acknowledged Sanders's ability to achieve significant results with a relatively less talented supporting cast. He compared Sanders' situation to quarterbacks like Quinn Ewers of the Texas Longhorns and Jalen Milroe of the Alabama Crimson Tide, who played alongside more skilled teammates.

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"This is not an apples-to-apples thing," Pate said. "If you asked me about Carson Beck at Georgia, if you asked me about any of a number of these guys, Quinn Ewers at Texas, Jalen Milroe at Alabama, they have talent all around them. Shedeur Sanders doesn't have a fraction of that kind of talent around him. So, he has to do a lot more."

Pate speculated that if Sanders played for a more prominent program that he would be a Heisman favorite going into the season. For Pate, the evaluation of Sanders's potential hinged significantly on the quality of the team around him.

"(Sanders) was a 3,200-yard guy, 27 touchdowns, three picks," Pate added. "But they were the nation's worst run game. Offensive line allowed the second-most sacks per game in the country. So, it can't get anything but better there. But I don't look at it as, 'Can Shedeur be a top-five quarterback?' I think if I were to put him in Columbus, Ohio, he'd be the preseason Heisman favorite. It isn't whether he's good or not; it's how good Colorado is around him." Pate also added Alabama, Miami and Florida State to the list of schools Sanders would look different.

Colorado is three weeks away from the opener against North Dakota State on Thursday, August 29. The first-ever matchup with the FCS powerhouse will provide an early glimpse into whether Sanders can overcome the team's shortcomings and establish himself among the elite quarterbacks.