Shilo Sanders’ road to the NFL may not have come with a confetti drop or a first-round phone call, but it came nonetheless. The former Colorado Buffaloes safety is now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. Word is, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, hit up the Bucs GM after the 2025 NFL Draft, and just like that, he signed as a UDFA. Now, Shilo is wasting no time getting acclimated to this new chapter. With Florida heat in the air and questions swirling in his mind, Shilo turned to someone who’s lived the life he’s about to walk into. Not a coach, not a scout—but a former Buccaneer who put in six years with the pewter and red and knows Tampa like the back of his hand. Their conversation? A mix of curiosity, culture, and cold-blooded NFL reality.
Captured in his YouTube vlog, Shilo Sanders peppered the former player with rapid-fire questions inside the CU facility. “So, you played up as a Buccaneer for six years where I’m about to go,” Shilo asked. With a nod and a grin, the reply came, “Yeah. 19th day special.” Shilo leaned in, eager. “Where did you live at?” he followed up. “North. So I still got a house down north, but it’s like 20 minutes from the facility,” the former pro said, giving Shilo the lay of the land before he’s even touched Florida soil.
But it wasn’t just addresses and practice commutes. Shilo wanted to know about the day-to-day, what life outside the field would look like. “What’s the best thing to do like foodwise and you know just living there?” he asked. “I say go to Hyde Park, like that’s a good spot to like go walk around,” he replied. “But there’s usually like your classrooms, they do pretty good ’cause Jason and the crew of guys, like they just do a good job of screening, like good people.” It was a crash course in lifestyle, but with the casual cool of two athletes swapping notes on their version of the American Dream.
Shilo Sanders, soaking it in, ended the moment with admiration. “Congratulations, my guy. You’re living a dream, man. I’m about to get mine started right now.” The answer was simple but grounded: “Yep. Just a start, man. Good luck.”
Still, this dream is far from guaranteed. Shilo enters a loaded Buccaneers secondary, and his place on the 53-man roster is anything but secure. Analysts give him just a 10% chance to make the team. Ranked 4th on the depth chart at free safety, he’ll need to leapfrog three players just to make the active roster. And one of those names? NFL All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr., one of the league’s most versatile and intelligent defensive backs. That leaves Shilo in a tightrope act—he must not only outperform others in camp but also shine on special teams.
Shilo Sanders on why he’s not taking Coach Prime Fishing in Florida
: @ShiloSanders pic.twitter.com/sQXVhZkQDB
— We Coming (@SkoBuffsGoBuffs) May 3, 2025
The numbers from his college career show flashes of promise. In 34 games, Shilo totaled 170 tackles—a respectable resume in major college football. But at the pro level, it’s less about the past and more about projection. Does he have the instincts? Can he break down coverages at NFL speed? Can he be reliable in two-high and quarters looks, or pinch down into the box and thump in the run game? Those are the questions Tampa Bay coaches will be answering in a few short months. What’s clear is that the Sanders fire still burns bright.
Even on a livestream, when asked about fishing in his new Tampa home. Shilo gave a laugh-out-loud response on why his father, Deion Sanders, wouldn’t be joining him. That same energy now has to translate into reps, film sessions, and preseason snaps.
Shilo Sanders quipped about avoiding the alligator
Tampa’s new boy is packing up for Florida—but don’t expect to catch him fishing anytime soon. In fact, the idea is completely off the table. During a recent livestream, Shilo made it very clear that Florida’s waters—and its wildlife—are a hard pass. “Nah, I’m not fishing in Tampa bro. I will never go fishing anywhere in Florida… I’m not fishing nowhere in Florida,” he said, laughing but dead serious at the same time.
And his reasoning? It hilariously—and affectionately—circles back to his dad. Deion Sanders, who had two toes amputated a few years ago due to blood circulation issues. That’s right, Coach Prime is down to eight toes. Shilo cracked a joke only a son could get away with: “Mess around and take my dad fishing, the alligator going to take the rest of his toes. He don’t got enough toes to play around with.”
Sure, he said it all with love and humor, but the point stands: Shilo is not messing with Florida’s gator-infested fishing spots. And another real trouble? That thick southern humidity. “It’s not really the heat, it’s the humidity,” he quipped in one of his older videos, recalling the instant need for a shower upon stepping out. Leaving behind Boulder’s crisp, high-altitude air, Shilo’s smart move to acclimate early to Tampa’s sweltering conditions shows he’s got his Florida game plan locked down.
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