Shedeur Sanders had yet to play his final game at Jackson State before Fox Sports in December labeled him as a favorite to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy for Colorado.
Throwing that type of hype on Sanders right away might be a bit much, but the fact that CU has a quarterback being talked about nationally is rare and it’s a big deal for the Pac-12 Conference.
“The conference will have the greatest collection of quarterbacks going into the season, as far as athletes ready to make sure their universities are in contention,” Merton Hanks, the Pac-12’s senior associate commissioner for football operations, said to BuffZone in a recent interview.
Without having played a snap at the FBS level, Sanders may not be at the top of that list yet, but he’s one of the most intriguing quarterbacks in the country going into next season.
In two seasons at Jackson State, Sanders threw for 6,963 yards, 70 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions. He added nine rushing touchdowns, including six this past season. In 2022, he ranked third in the FCS in passing touchdowns (40) and fourth in passing yards (3,732) and completion percentage (70.6%).
“I’m looking forward to seeing Shedeur against the Pac-12 defenses,” Hanks said. “That’s going to be something that I’ll be certainly paying close attention to.”
Hanks added that he’s also excited about the other skill players CU has added after losing so much talent to the transfer portal a year ago. It adds up to making the Buffs a much more attractive team in the Pac-12.
“There was just a lot of individual talent that was lost (by CU last year),” Hanks said. “So, I’m not only looking forward seeing Shedeur; I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of the skill position talent that believes in the vision of the Colorado Buffaloes and what the university and what the athletic department offer.”
Even if Sanders wasn’t at Colorado, the Pac-12 would be loaded at the most important position in the game. A look at the other projected starting quarterbacks in the Pac-12 for 2023:
Returning starters
Jayden de Laura, Arizona: Threw for 3,685 yards and 25 touchdowns in helping Wildcats go from 1-11 in 2021 to 5-7 in 2022. He was the Pac-12 freshman offensive player of the year in 2021 while at Washington State.
Bo Nix, Oregon: Auburn transfer was a Heisman candidate through the 2022 season, finishing with 3,593 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, along with 510 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. His completion percentage (71.9) was second in the country.
Michael Penix Jr., Washington: He led the country in passing yards per game (357.0) and was second in total passing yards (4,641). The Indiana transfer threw 31 touchdown passes, rushed for four scores was mentioned as a Heisman candidate at times last season.
Cameron Rising, Utah: Doesn’t put up the same type of numbers as other stars (3,034 yards, 26 touchdowns; 465 rushing yards, six TDs), but would rank among the top leaders in the nation and he has guided Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 titles and Rose Bowl appearances.
Cameron Ward, Washington State: Took over for de Laura after transferring from Incarnate Word and threw for 3,231 yards and 23 touchdowns, leading Cougars to a bowl game.
Caleb Williams, USC: The reigning Heisman Trophy winner and Oklahoma transfer could make USC a national title contender. Last season, Williams threw for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and only five interceptions, while adding 382 yards and 10 touchdowns as a runner.
Newcomers
Sam Jackson, California: Transfer from national runner-up TCU, he was a backup who threw six passes in two years with the Horned Frogs. He was a four-star dual-threat prospect coming out of high school.
Dante Moore, UCLA: The true freshman is a five-star recruit rated as the No. 3 quarterback in the 2023 class. The Bruins also have Collin Schlee – who started for new CU offensive coordinator Sean Lewis at Kent State last season – in the mix.
Drew Pyne, Arizona State: Threw for 2,021 yards, 22 touchdowns and only six interceptions at Notre Dame last season.
DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State: No. 2 overall prospect in the 2020 class spent three years at Clemson, two as the starter. He didn’t live up to the hype with the Tigers, but was much better this past year: 2,521 yards, 22 touchdowns; 545 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Stanford: The Cardinal signed three-star prospect Myles Jackson, but also return a pair of backups from last season in Ari Patu and Ashton Daniels.
From a big picture perspective, Hanks couldn’t be more excited about the potential of the quarterbacks, and therefore the teams, in the Pac-12 in 2023.
“It’s going to be chock full of excellent quarterback play,” he said. “Coaches who are doing it right and the process is showing up on the field.”
