Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes opened the 2026 season with a dramatic 14-13 victory over Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Thursday.
Colorado trailed 13-7 with 1:40 remaining before quarterback Julian Lewis led a 75-yard touchdown drive. Boo Carter then blocked Georgia Tech’s potential game-winning field goal as time expired.
Shortly after the win, head coach Deion Sanders became emotional during his postgame press conference while discussing son Shedeur Sanders’ decision to attend the game despite preparing for the Cleveland Browns’ upcoming NFL season.
“Y’all see a coach, you see Prime, you see someone that has dealt with success in certain areas of life,” Sanders said. “Some of them have made a multitude of mistakes as well. But y’all forget, like, I’m a real loving, caring father. And that’s my son, man. So I feel it.”
Shedeur, Colorado’s quarterback for two seasons before the Browns drafted him in 2025, made the trip after finishing practice with the team. He watched from the Buffaloes’ sideline and walked off the field alongside his father following the victory.
Deion revealed that their time together will continue before Shedeur returns to Cleveland to rejoin the Browns.
“For him to, you know, get out of practice and make it to this game, I think he’s going to fly back with us,” Sanders said. “He’s going to spend a couple days with his dad. Like, I love that.”
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Sanders then opened up on why the gesture carried so much significance for him, reflecting on his own approach to raising his children compared to how he experienced it.
“I love fatherhood. I love fatherhood. I really do,” Sanders said. “I wasn’t fathered like I’m a father. So some people can take the wrong and keep it going wrong. Some people can take the wrong and make it right.”
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Colorado next hosts Weber State on Saturday, Sept. 12, while Shedeur and the Browns open their season at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 13.
