LAS VEGAS — Shedeur Sanders is arguably the most polarizing player in college football.
The Colorado quarterback’s unwavering confidence and swagger rubs some people the wrong way, and often times takes the focus off all the things that make him a projected first-round NFL draft pick.
Arizona star quarterback Noah Fifita isn’t blinded by the shine of Sanders’ blinged-out watch that he occasionally flashes. The 2023 Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year got an up-close-and-personal look at Sanders in November and was more than impressed.
“He’s (Sanders) special,” Fifita told the Coloradoan at Big 12 media days. “That’s a generational talent for sure. Just watching him and the things that he does, he’s very competitive. I know people don’t like some of his tactics but as a competitor myself, I love it.
“Whatever it takes to win, everybody has their own style.”
Fifita and Sanders dueled last season in a game that was decided by a field goal as time expired.
Sanders finished with 262 passing yards and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in that game to surpass the 10,000-yard mark for his career. However, Fifita — who threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns — led a game-winning drive to rally No. 21 Arizona past Colorado, 34-31.
It was a matchup of two of the best quarterbacks in college football. Luckily for fans of the sport, Fifita and Sanders will meet again on Oct. 19 in Tucson, Arizona.
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“It’s big time,” Fifita said of the midseason showdown. “Hopefully we’re going into it with a lot of hype because of the seasons that we’re both having but it’s going to be a great matchup. I know it’s a homecoming game so Tucson is going to be pumping.”
Being the son of a coach comes with additional pressure. That pressure is magnified tenfold when you play quarterback and your father is Deion Sanders.
The ability to survive, and thrive, under that microscope is what impresses Fifita most about Shedeur.
“I know there’s a lot of pressure on him, he deals with it well,” Fifita said of Shedeur. “Obviously, the talent speaks for itself.”
Despite being the most sacked QB in FBS (52) and getting sacked on 10.2% of his dropbacks (FBS average is 6.1%) last year, Shedeur completed 69% of his passes for a school-record 3,230 yards to go along with a sparkling TD-INT ratio (27-3).
With an improved offensive line, 2024 could be the year that Shedeur and Colorado put it all together.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Arizona QB Noah Fifita: Shedeur Sanders is ‘a generational talent’
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