DENTON, Texas — The banter between Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward bought going early.
Warming up earlier than their exercise at Southern Methodist College earlier this month, they debated who had the quicker 40-yard sprint time. Then Sanders joked in regards to the high quality of footballs that Ward threw at Miami.
Earlier than lengthy, they had been discussing which was the true “generational” prospect.
“Let one other phrase describe you, bro,” Sanders stated in an interplay captured by Effectively Off Media, which is run by Deion Sanders Jr., Shedeur’s oldest brother.
“Nah,” Ward quipped again, “[That’s] the phrase that describes me.”
Sanders surrendered … kind of.
“You generational,” Sanders admitted. “I’m legendary.”
However Ward wasn’t performed.
“That’s cool,” he stated. “You will be legendary. Legendary get they ass whooped. … Generational is as soon as each 100 years.”
All this backwards and forwards — and the 2 hadn’t even begun throwing.
“It’s real,” Choose QB Athletics founder Darrell Colbert Jr., who trains each quarterbacks, instructed FOX Sports activities in regards to the relationship between Sanders and Ward. “It’s not simply because the cameras are out. It’s a relaxed setting, however it’s a aggressive setting.”
The banter affords a peek into the shut relationship they share — a novel one, as they’re the consensus prime two quarterback prospects within the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s doable that they’ll be the primary two gamers chosen.
After two years at Jackson State, Sanders performed his final two faculty seasons at Colorado, the place he ranked first within the FBS in completion price in 2024 (74.0%). He’s lauded for his pinpoint accuracy and timing. Ward, in the meantime, led the nation in landing passes at Miami (39), the place he spent his redshirt senior season after two years apiece at Washington State and the College of the Incarnate Phrase. He’s recognized for his prowess enjoying off-schedule and with off-platform throws.
Their enjoying kinds are as completely different as their personalities.
“[Ward is] extra of a quiet man, however round his mates, round his household, you’ll be able to see that playful facet of him,” Colbert defined. “I believe he does that on objective as a result of he needs everyone to see that when he’s not round household or mates, he’s all about enterprise. [He has] a killer mentality on the sector.
“And Shedeur is Shedeur, the prime persona of who he’s and who his dad was. He’s his dad’s son.”
Colbert has labored with each for almost 4 years — Sanders in a proper capability since 2019, when he was nonetheless in highschool, whereas Ward entered the image after his freshman season at Incarnate Phrase in 2021. Sanders and Ward hadn’t met till they began coaching collectively.
“Fully completely different … however it jells properly collectively as a result of these guys need the identical factor,” Colbert stated. “They need to be the No. 1 draft choose. They work exhausting. They need to get higher, and so they need to see one another get higher as properly.”
Their joint work with Colbert has come at numerous occasions through the years — from spring break journeys, to preparations for fall camp, summer time and instantly after the season. Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones, Ward’s cousin, has usually been their third coaching accomplice.
Sanders and Ward’s consideration to element in drills, and their embrace of educating factors, is partially to verify the opposite doesn’t have ammunition of their trash speak.
It’s by no means quiet once they’re on the sector collectively, in keeping with Colbert.
“If I say [to Ward], ‘Hit [the receiver] within the chest’ and he hits the left facet of his pec and Shedeur hits him within the chest, he’s going to let him hear about it,” Colbert stated. “Different method round — Cam goes to let [Shedeur] find out about it. You’re going to listen to one thing each single time. … It’s all the time the identical stream each time.”
Shedeur Sanders’ 2024 Colorado season highlights
Their relationship is about extra than simply poking enjoyable at one another, although.
All through their faculty careers, they’d ask one another about how their respective groups attacked man protection. They mentioned what labored finest in deploying sure passing ideas. Their groups took parts from one another’s playbook. They traded notes on dos and don’ts in opposition to widespread opponents, too.
“Lots of people within the media attempt to all the time pit us in opposition to one another,” Sanders stated Saturday on the East-West Shrine Bowl. “We’re household and we’re mates on the finish of the day earlier than all these items occurred to us.”
What’s Cam Ward’s NFL ceiling?
Colbert sees how a lot the quarterback panorama has modified in recent times within the faculty ranks. He appears to be like on the path Sanders and Ward have taken — reaching the best ranges of success by way of a number of colleges — all whereas staying true to their genuine selves as a blueprint for these coming behind them.
“I believe that’s the perfect you may get out of anyone, particularly while you’re asking guys to return in and be your franchise quarterback, since you accomplish that a lot analysis to determine who they’re,” Colbert stated. “And that’s what made individuals drawn to them within the first place. So why … change who I’m? … They stroll their very own stroll.”
After the exercise at SMU, the banter didn’t cease between Sanders and Ward.
“You sporting No. 2,” Ward began, “that simply will get in your thoughts that you just all the time need to be No. 2.
“They gave me No. 1,” he exclaimed of his jersey quantity at Miami and Washington State. “I ain’t ask for it. That’s the loopy factor.”
Sanders shot again.
“So issues get handed to you?”
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand labored for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Community, the place he was the Titans beat author for a 12 months and a half. He lined the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for 3 seasons (2018-20) previous to transferring to Tennessee. You’ll be able to comply with Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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