As Colorado prepares to face BYU in the Alamo Bowl, it appears that two of the top — if not the top two — prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft will be taking the field. According to Deion Sanders, that’s at least in part because the school took out historic insurance policies to provide prospects such as Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter with safety nets in the event they suffer a catastrophic injury during the game.
“We have a multitude of players that are draftable, that they received a draft grade,” Sanders told reporters following the Buffaloes’ arrival in San Antonio. “They’ve disability [insurance] all season long, we want to make insure that if something were to happen, they would cover it.
“We happen to have two players that are probably going to be the first two picks of the NFL Draft. I think we all know who those two are and they have received, I think, the highest number of coverage that has ever been covered in college football. It far exceeds anyone that has ever played this game of college football. So we’re happy and excited.”
Colorado athletic director Rick George confirmed that the two policies — obviously for Sanders and Hunter — are the most expensive in college football history. George also stated that it was Coach Prime’s idea for the school to take out the additional policies ahead of the bowl game.
Coach Prime and Rick George announced that Colorado players like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter will be provided with insurance coverage for potential injury in the Alamo Bowl.
Travis and Shedeur will more coverage than any college football players before them. pic.twitter.com/0SkxGQuZ3M
— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) December 24, 2024
Considering that it’s become common — if not the norm — for star players to sit out non-playoff bowl games, this appears to be a potential solution to a problem that’s plagued college football’s bowl season for the better part of the last decade. This particular instance also serves as a win-win for the Buffaloes and Coach Prime, who won’t only get to play one last game with two of college football’s biggest stars on the field, but will also have the benefit of being able to to sell their willingness to take such measures while on the recruiting trail.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.