Shilo and Shedeur Sanders Talk 2025 NFL Draft, Coach Prime Rumors, and Advice From 2Chainz

It’s 8:38 PM on Friday when I get the confirmation: I’ll be chatting with two of the most-discussed prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, Shilo and Shedeur Sanders. We’re all in town for the College Football Playoff Championship, where Notre Dame and Ohio State will be facing off for all the marbles.

For fans in town, AT&T is rolling out the red carpet with a weekend of curated, immersive experiences. Fans can visit their footprint at Playoff Fan Central to play a passing game, join their dream team in an AI photo booth, create digital trading cards, and meet NCAA legends and players. The Sanders brothers are part of the action, stopping by AT&T’s booth to meet fans before heading to AT&T Playoff Playlist Live!, a two-night concert series headlined by Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, Glorilla, and Camila Cabello. Last year, Shedeur’s appearance drew a large crowd–This year, his star is even brighter.

But where to start with the interview? Both brothers have been in the headlines lately. Their father, the legendary Deion Sanders (fondly known as Coach Prime), has been making news with statements like “the only way I would consider (coaching in the NFL) is to coach my sons” and comments about where he will (or perhaps more importantly, won’t) allow first-round hopeful Shedeur to play.

“Shedeur is the problem. He's going too high,” laughs Shilo when I ask them about Coach Prime’s edict that all three Sanders men join the same organization. And those custom Giants cleats that were allegedly in Shedeur’s locker? Shedeur says he doesn’t know anything about ‘em.

With just under 100 days to go until draft night, I hop on a call with the Sanders brothers and experience their dynamic firsthand as Shedeur teases Shilo for being late to meet him in the car and fires off (friendly) shots at their family’s “informant”—older brother Deion Sanders Jr.

Our conversation, lightly edited and condensed for clarity, is below.

You’re in town ahead of the natty to meet fans at AT&T’s Playoff Fan Central. What does it mean to you both to have a chance to spend time with fans of the game who are so excited about what you’ve already accomplished and all that’s ahead?

Shilo: Yeah, I like how AT&T does that, where it gives us a chance to interact with the fans. And all the good things people say online? They're just around you in real life telling you they’re rooting for you, everybody's praying for you. So, just being able to interact with the fans is real cool.
Shedeur: Yeah, I did a meet and greet, it was very fun–I just left. There was a lot of kids there, and that was the first time since the season I stepped out in public. Having some good intimate time to interact with those people was real fun.

Are you guys going to tonight's Playlist Live! concert too?

Shedeur: Yeah, we're excited. Our brother, Lil Wayne, he’s performing. And then somebody I recently got real close with is 2Chainz. He's like a big brother for me.

Really? How did that come about?

Shedeur: I met him actually last year, around this time, for the same event. But then we was beating Oklahoma State bad and he was just on the sideline. They took me out the game because it was over with, and then we was on the sideline just talking, and I had a good time. I understand his purpose and what he is looking forward to now. So it helped me really understand him a little bit more, and we just connected.

Has he given you any good advice?

Shedeur: Yeah, he said “Keep doing you, we watching.” That definitely motivated me and helped me out a little bit more. I used to watch his show too, he’s a cool guy.

Lil Wayne is performing, and at the Heisman ceremony your teammate Travis (Hunter) said he didn't start listening to Wayne's music until recently, which blew my mind. Is that a generational thing? Are you guys fans of Wayne?

Shedeur: Oh yeah, we fans of Wayne. We grew up watching him and listening to him. I remember back in the day, he sent us a lot of clothes and stuff whenever he was doing his clothing line, TRUKFIT and all that. So we've been supportive. It's almost like family, so I don't know, we just view him differently than y'all do because we know him.

Let's just knock out the question that's on everybody's minds. Are you both declaring for the 2025 draft?

Shilo: I don't have a choice.
Shedeur: I don't have a choice either. I don't understand why people say they declaring and they ran out of college time. It's obvious. We don't really have no other choice.

Growing up, did you guys imagine that you'd possibly be entering the same NFL draft?

Shedeur: It just happened that way. He didn't know he was going to get injured.
Shilo: Nah, I mean not in the early years of my college career, but the last few–definitely.

Has there been anything uniquely difficult about sharing a field for most of your lives?

Shilo: Nah. If anything, it's easier, just because he knows he got help on both sides of the ball.

I love that, I would be fighting with my siblings if I ever tried to share anything with them, let alone a career.

Shedeur: I'm about to right now. I'm sharing this car ride with him, and he is taking too long, so he almost got left.

*laughs* Your dad has said he'll only consider a job in the league if it means coaching you both. Can we infer anything from the rumor mill? It sounds like he potentially has been chatting with some teams.

Shedeur: I'm not sure. I haven't chatted with him in the past couple of days.
Shilo: Shedeur is the problem. He's going too high. So Shadeur is making it difficult for that to come true.
Shedeur: But I honestly don't really know. I know he loves it in Boulder right now, so I know it's a lot for him to decide and figure out. But any insight? I don't really know anything else but what you guys know through social media, and some of that be lies too. I don't really have no new information. If you want new information, you need to contact Deion Jr. Now he will tell you everything. He’s the informant of the family. You got to put this in the article– ask Deion Jr anything. If you want information, he'll tell it. Especially for some free AT&T months, some free service.

You know what– if it's free, it's for me, so I get it.

Speaking of the lies, you both have been subjected to a lot of public scrutiny simply because of who your dad is. How do you navigate those extra eyes and those false narratives?

Shedeur: We really just don't pay it any mind, and do what we can to control our own narrative and control our own image. Don't be seen doing anything wrong like that because they're waiting to tear you down for everything that you built up to this point. So you’ve got to understand you always have a target wherever you go, anywhere you go, anytime you leave your household.
Shilo: Just being mindful of your image, basically.

Definitely. With that in mind, Shedeur, I have to ask you: what was the deal with the Giants cleats in the locker?

Shedeur: When?

A couple weeks ago.

Shedeur: I don't even know who even took that picture. I don't even know how that even came about. So I'm not sure what even happened.

Mhhm, okay, okay. What are your mentalities heading into the draft?

Shedeur: Just be the best I can be. I did everything I could during the season and for my team, so whatever happens, happens, and that's truly what it is. And of course, in the draft process, having a lot of those coaches and people that will be important in my future, really understand me–not just watching things from afar that could have been lied about.

It's Complex, so I've got to ask, who are your favorite artists that you've been listening to? I know Shilo released a project recently, so I imagine Hate 2 Love is on that list.

Shilo: Yeah, that's his number one album he likes right now.
Shedeur: Yeah, I listen to his mostly– I'm telling you people I be around be like, why you play it so much? I'm like, this is what I do. If you in the car with me, you either going to hear Shilo, me, or Deion Jr. You're going to hear one of us three, and that’s it.

What about you Shilo? Same thing?

Shilo: Yeah, we just relate to each other's lives, so it’s easy to listen to each other's music and like it. Shedeur actually has a lot of stuff that he just doesn't drop though.
Shedeur: Yeah, I have a lot of music, I barely send it to him. It be tough out here nowadays.

And you don't know when you're going to drop it? We're keeping that in the chamber?

Shedeur: I don't know. I do it for fun, that's the thing. But it’s different, because Shilo makes everything that he does. He makes the beats, he makes everything, he produces himself–everything. I don't do what he does. So it's a harder process, and it's just not worth the headache sometimes for me.