Colorado defensive back Shilo Sanders is expected to miss two to three weeks after undergoing surgery on an arm injury, Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders said Tuesday. The timeline means he will miss games against Colorado State and Baylor, and it puts his availability in question against UCF.
Sanders suffered the injury — believed to be a broken forearm — while making a tackle on a run from Nebraska’s Dante Dowdell in the first quarter of the Buffaloes’ 28-10 road loss. He posted two tackles in the first quarter before heading to the locker room for evaluation. He was initially considered probable to return, but the evaluation revealed the injury.
The sixth-year senior has started 28 games in four seasons of playing for his father across Jackson State and Colorado. Sanders led the Buffaloes with 70 tackles last season and added a pick-six, four forced fumbles and three passes defended. For his efforts, Sanders earned All-Pac-12 second team honors.
With Sanders sidelined, Colorado leaned heavily on defensive back Carter Stoutmire at the free safety position. The sophomore recorded five tackles in the loss against Nebraska. He ranked as one of the top gets of Sanders’ initial recruiting class in 2023 after Stoutmire flipped from Arizona. Former Vanderbilt transfer Savion Riley is also listed as the top backup at safety.
Colorado plays a nationally televised rivalry game on CBS against Colorado State on Saturday. When these two teams played last season, Sanders had a critical pick-six to start the game that helped set up a 43-35 win in double-overtime. The Buffaloes are 7.5-point favorites heading into the matchup.
