Colorado's Shilo Sanders out at least six months after shoulder surgery, sources say

Buffs Headache Gang CEO will miss an extended period of time

Sep 16, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders (21) runs for a / Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders is expected to be out for the start off the season after surgery to repair damage in his shoulder, sources told BuffsBeat on Wednesday.

Sanders had a career year in Boulder with 54 tackles forced fumbles, three PDUs, and a pick-six in the Rocky Mountain Showdown vs. Colorado State. He brings much-needed experience to CU's secondary as a sixth-year senior.

Not sure why, but i noticed Shilo had a brace on his left arm on Saturday. Is this normal? pic.twitter.com/49zXpMUu9Z

— konnxct (@konnxct) May 2, 2024

Colorado's Shilo Sanders is on a different trajectory this offseason

Colorado could be thin in the back of the secondary with Sanders out. Omarion Cooper was moved from starting cornerback to backup safety before he recently hit the transfer portal. They also lost Myles Slusher, who dealt with injuries after starting at TCU to open the 2023 season.

Shilo Sanders

News broke earlier today that he underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to miss at least six months.

Although there are no specifics as to what he’s dealing with, let’s discuss a couple different possibilities.

Most shoulder surgeries take between 3 to 6… pic.twitter.com/4FAvD3oqci

— Jesse Morse, MD (@DrJesseMorse) May 2, 2024

The news of Sanders being put on the shelf comes after CU has lost over 20 players to the portal since it opened on April 16th. However, they gained a lot of talent in the process to nearly make up the deficit.

Coach Prime and the Buffs will likely hit the portal in search of secondary help to supplement the losses. There's no timetable for when Sanders might return at this point.