Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders gets named to Manning Award watch list after Buffaloes' Big 12 induction

Colorado Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders has earned a spot in the Manning Award watch list for this year after the Big 12 induction.

The best quarterback in college football wins the Manning Award every year. Cubuffsfootball posted about Shedeur Sanders’ spot on Instagram, captioning it:

“Best of the best, Shedeur Sanders has been named to the Manning Award Watchlist #GoBuffs.”

Georgia's Carson Beck and Texas' Quinn Ewers are also included in the list. Jayden Daniels of LSU won the Manning Award last season. Daniels also won the Heisman Trophy.

Deshaun Watson, Joe Burrow and Bryce Young are some of the past winners of the Manning Award. This year, two of the finalists of last year are also a part of the watch list. Georgia’s Carson Beck and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, will compete with 27 others to win the Manning Award.

Shedeur showcased exceptional talent during his debut season in Colorado, amassing 3,230 passing yards and 27 touchdowns despite the team's overall struggles.

His performance under the demanding spotlight has positioned him as a potential top draft pick.

---

Shedeur Sanders fires back at critics

On the "2Legendary with Shedeur Sanders" podcast, the quarterback and his brothers talked about their personal and professional life. They also discussed the backlash Shedeur has faced from a portion of the fanbase despite his impressive individual statistics.

Undeterred by the criticism, the young signal-caller confidently defended his abilities and asserted that his critics lack the perspective to truly appreciate his performance.

“You got to understand some people want to get the respect they deserve because it's like you could put all these guys in the same position I was in, and they couldn't do that,” Shedeur said.

“At the end of the day, if you put them in that same scheme, same offense, same everything from the same situation that I was in, they wouldn't be able to have the production I had, 10 times out of 10 … The average fan can't change your life. What can they do?”

Despite the backlash, Shedeur is set to play his final collegiate season under his father, Deion Sanders.