Coach Prime and his family, including Shilo, don’t just coach at Colorado Buffaloes; they fulfill dreams, and some dreams are so powerful that even from 4,685 miles away, they get noticed. One such powerful story is of an Egyptian-born athlete who went to Austria in order to chase his dreams and later to England to play soccer. And the circumstances for him? They were dire, as his parents sacrificed everything to make that dream possible. He remembers his father’s sacrifices emotionally.
“Everything I have, everything I’ve got is because of my parents’ sacrifices… All the hard work paid off,” said Yahya Attia, who committed to Colorado in 2024 from Loughborough’s NFL Academy in England. Yahya’s path to committing to Colorado was quite unconventional, having moved to Vienna initially from Egypt for a better life, and played soccer there for some time. But his 6’4″ and 330 lbs frame weren’t suited for soccer, and so came the very sport where those frames thrived: Football!!
The guy enrolled at Vienna Vikings, playing football in Austria, and later caught the attention of Loughborough’s NFL Academy, which has produced over 40 college scholarship players. So, he persisted there and still dreamed of playing football in America. Of course, it wasn’t going to be easy, but with the help of Deion Sanders and Shilo Sanders, that dream finally became a reality as he got committed to Colorado last year and redshirted in his first year.
Yahya recently appeared on the ‘Reach The People Media’s’ 29th June episode and talked about how one call from Coach Prime changed everything. He describes the entire moment when he got a call from Coach Prime at 9 PM at night, and after the Buffs coach offered him to come to CU, the guy couldn’t sleep the entire night. “So it’s like 9, I’m in bed. My phone is the first time not on DND. I get a call from Coach that goes like ‘Hey, big dog.’ Ba boom. ‘I want to offer you.’ Bro, I stood up, I was like ‘What?’”
What stood out to him was that Coach Prime wanted Yahya to come to Colorado in 2024, while some other programs that were after him wanted him to enroll in 2025. And the personal touch that Coach Prime and his staff were genuinely putting into making his dream come true was exceptional. Of course, it was an emotional moment for Yahya, and he still remembers it fondly.
“Other big four schools came to me, offered me, told me we want you. But we want you next year, like this January, class of 25. I’m like, that’s too late. I can’t stay out eight months. So you (Coach Prime) told me I want you in one month. We send you the paperwork right now, fill it out, get it ready, and come over here… I knew from the beginning the first big team that showed me love. The other teams just wanted to take me away from CU,” said Yahya. As for Shilo?
Shilo Sanders acted as a pillar of support for Yahya and helped him adapt to the environment in Colorado. Even Yahya remembered that it was strange at first, but then both Shedeur and Shilo helped him in settling and even drove the guy home whenever required. That’s gold standard loyalty right there, right? The offensive tackle still cherished the bond that he had made with Shilo. And now?
Aunties tap in and peep our nephew Yahya “Yo Yo” Attia @yahyaattia77 sit down interview on @ReachThePeople with @KingDarius_NS
Yo Yo speaks on how he chose CU, his first time in Boulder and bonding with the Sanders brothers. This is a two part interview. Part 2 coming soon.… pic.twitter.com/8BeQ8ZrBLS
— CU Aunties (@CUaunties) June 29, 2025
Now that Shilo is in Tampa Bay, he has invited Yahya to come down to Tampa. “A few days ago, Shilo called to come down to Tampa to just chill there, do some stream, just chill,” said Yahya. And quite recently, Yahya even posted an IG story thanking Shilo for everything he had done. “shoutout to big bro @shilosanders,” wrote Yahya Attia as he posted a photo driving, probably in Shilo’s Mercedes. So the bond, even when Shilo isn’t in Colorado, is there with Yahya, and that probably makes Shilo the most loved amongst the Sanders Siblings.
Shilo Sanders’ impressing at Tampa Bay
Shilo is in Tampa Bay after Todd Bowles selected the safety as a free agent on a $2.96 million contract, and the future for him? It still looks bright even when he might be quite deep in the picking order. Why? In just two months after getting drafted, the guy has impressed his head coach with his hard work and determination, as Bowles said.
“He’s very intelligent, he’s very loud. You can hear him making calls and everything.” And Shilo? He just wants to repay the faith. “They gave me a chance before anyone, so I’m forever grateful to the Buccaneers, and I’m just gonna do everything in my power to help this team win… That’s all I want,” said Shilo.
Currently, Shilo has a long journey ahead, having players like Antoine Winfield, Tykee Smith, and Kaevon Merriweather ahead of him. So, for now, all Shilo needs to do is learn from their expertise and be ready when that opening comes to grab the place and seal their spot. As for Shilo’s off-the-field heroics? The guy is busy changing lives and having a profound impact on prospects and people. Shilo is proving that true impact goes far beyond the game.
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