Can Shedeur Sanders head back to college? It’s complicated

As the final day of the 2025 NFL Draft beckons, one question dominates them all.

Where will Shedeur Sanders be heading?

At one point during this draft cycle the Colorado quarterback was in the discussion for QB1, but having slipped out of the first three rounds Sanders still waits to hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. In the meantime, five quarterbacks — Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, and Dillon Gabriel — have been drafted and the questions over Sanders’ landing spot have given way to an outside-the-box subquestion.

Could he return to college?

That was the discussion floated on the NFL Network during their coverage on Friday night. After all, Sanders does have one year of college eligibility remaining.

However, if this is the route he wants to pursue, it would not come without a fight. A legal fight, that is.

Under NFL and NCAA eligibility rules, once a player declares for the NFL Draft, they have waived their remaining college eligibility. As set forth here by the league:

The NFL encourages most underclassmen to finish their college eligibility and earn a degree while maturing as a professional prospect. Participating in the Draft means that an underclassman loses his remaining eligibility: If he is not selected by an NFL team, he will not be able to play another college season and he will not be able to improve his draft standing for the following year’s draft.

Other professional leagues, such as the NBA, allow a player to return to school after declaring for the draft, provided they have not retained an agent. While Sanders and his camp have handled his representation without hiring an agent, the NFL does not have this same provision.

Now, that could be challenged in court. As set forth by Mike Florio in Pro Football Talk on Friday night, Sanders could look to challenge that rule:

But we’ve learned one very important thing about college football in recent years. Most, if not all, NCAA rules violate federal antitrust laws. And with players now making millions in NIL money, why shouldn’t a player with remaining eligibility be allowed to return?

No one has tested it. Shedeur could. If it fails, he could then sign a rookie deal and join whichever team eventually drafts him.

There is also a fascinating financial aspect to a potential challenge. Having fallen to Day Three, Sanders would likely earn more money via a potential NIL deal, than he would through a rookie contract.

Then there is this potential argument. Perhaps heading back to college, to a different school, could show the NFL what the league is hoping to see from Sanders:

Here’s another twist that he should consider. Don’t go back to Colorado. His 2026 draft stock could be enhanced by finding a new team, and by proving that he can play at a high level away from his father/coach, Deion.

There is also the small matter of Colorado having already retired his jersey.

The legal barriers might prevent this from being a true option for Sanders, and who knows how the league would view him next year if he opted to fight to head back to school rather than prove his worth in training camp after being a late-round pick. There is an “old school” aspect to the evaluation game, and it is not hard to believe that Sanders’ approach of minimal workouts and meetings rubbed the league the wrong way. Would heading back to school improve that mindset?

We will see what happens today, but the simple answer is this: Sanders cannot head back to school, at least without a legal fight.