$4.8 million NIL valued Shedeur Sanders unveils his latest "pink" merch amid a successful college football campaign

The Colorado Buffaloes, and in particular, star quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, have been much maligned in the media after their historic second-half collapse in the 46-43 loss against the Stanford Cardinal.

While fans and pundits are divided over the Buffaloes' collective ability, Shedeur Sanders has won over every football enthusiast with his sensational performances week in and week out since he transitioned to the FBS level.

As a result, his NIL valuation has skyrocketed, currently standing at a mammoth $4.8 million, which ranks him No. 2 on the On3 NIL 100 list, just behind USC basketball star Bronny James.

Due to his popularity, with a special nod to his iconic watch celebration, merchandise related to his brand has been flying off shelves. Shedeur Sanders recently took to his Instagram Stories to promote his latest pink merchandise with the caption:

"Legendary pink collection almost sold out!"

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Is Shedeur Sanders caught up in his own hype?

Shedeur Sanders is a star quarterback, that much we have established. He has shown his talent all season, and the stats back it all up. He has thrown for 2,420 yards, resulting in 21 touchdowns.

However, he can't seem to shake off a bit of controversy every now and then. From taunting opponents and their fans, to his Instagram displaying merchandise links during the loss against the Cardinal, there is enough going on for the tabloids to keep writing about him for reasons other than his game.

While his Instagram was updated with a merch-related post, the Buffaloes were up by 29 points at halftime and went on to lose the game 46-43. On an episode of ESPN's "First Take," analyst Stephen A. Smith was not amused by the incident:

“The players got caught up in the shine their coach generated, and I’m calling out his son Shedeur Sanders, who I love, and I think has star written all over him. But whether it was you, or by accident and it was somebody on your social media team, you cannot have something being posted at halftime of a damn game,” Smith said.

“Show up, stand up, because your daddy and to the players on the squad, your coach, as much swag and bravado as he had, he was the best on the planet," Smith added. "Week-in and week-out you knew Deion Sanders was the best probably ever. Y’all aren’t on that level. Stop acting like it!”

With the spotlight firmly on Deion Sanders, it's a good bet that some of the attention his father commands does shift to Shedeur from time to time, and he has to continue justifying the hype he gets on the gridiron.