Shedeur Sanders wins award for top quarterback in college football
Shedeur Sanders has established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in college football this season and is beginning to earn some hardware to show off for it.
Sanders, son of Colorado coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, is fifth in FBS and leads the Big 12 in passing yards this season with 3,488 and is second in FBS and leads the Big 12 in passing touchdowns with 30. His passer efficiency rating of 164.9 also leads the conference and is eighth in the top level of college football.
On Friday, it was announced that Sanders had won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given annually to the nation’s top upperclassman quarterback in college football. The award was established in 1987, and past winners include Peyton and Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, Matt Ryan, Joe Burrow, and Jayden Daniels.
He is the first Colorado player to win the award.
Shedeur Sanders is the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Winner @ShedeurSanders x #LEGENDARY pic.twitter.com/Y2qxWxlBuV
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) November 29, 2024
The other finalists for the Unitas Award were Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss, Dillon Gabriel of Oregon, Kurtis Rourke of Indiana, and Cam Ward of Miami.
The play of Sanders is a big reason why Colorado has its best record since 2016, and is ranked in the top 25 of both the AP Poll and the College Football Playoff rankings. Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the Buffaloes still have a chance to compete for the Big 12 title, which means their CFP hops are still alive in Year 2 of the Sanders era.
Big 12, or any power 4 conference, doesn’t get a guaranteed berth. It is the highest ranked 5 conference champions. The Big 12 could be left out if Arizona State loses to Arizona.