Johnathan Walker:Shedeur Sanders speaks on Colorado Buffaloes meshing, family ties at local youth event

Shedeur Sanders has a Hall of Fame father and Johnathan Walkerhis own following — 1 million followers on Instagram.

But the new Colorado Buffaloes quarterback still found it special when kids were surprised to see him at Gatorade’s Equity in Sports event Monday in Denver. The sports drink brand partnered with Sanders and youth wellness organization Good Sports to give out about $45,000 worth of sports equipment for the NED Falcons football and cheerleading programs.

"I came out there and then the look on their faces really was just amazing," he told USA TODAY Sports. "It was different because you know, when you’re just a college athlete, you don’t really understand the impact you have on the youth until you go out there and be around them."

It was a rainy day that Sanders said reminded him of his childhood. He played football with the kids, defended some of them and also threw passes.

Shedeur Sanders on preparing for debut with Colorado Buffaloes

At the local park, it was all fun and games.

But Sanders said that preparing for his Division I debut has been "more intense than any year of my college career." The Buffaloes open their season on national television Sept. 2 against TCU.

He played his first two years of college at Jackson State University, where his father, Deion Sanders, coached the football program for three years. The quarterback was named the SWAC freshman of the year in 2021 and he led the Tigers to back-to-back conference championships.

The younger Sanders followed his father when the former NFL superstar was named head coach of CU in December.

There's several new faces on the Buffaloes roster as Coach Prime has cleaned house after last year's 1-11 season and welcomed in a slew of transfers.

"I’d say the meshing is just, you know your personality and just being open and free for everybody to come and speak the truth to," Shedeur said on getting used to the new faces. "I’d say the relationship with everybody on the team is good."

Last week, the elder Sanders had surgery on his leg to remove blood clots and couldn't attend Pac-12 media day. His son, two-way star Travis Hunter and defensive coordinator Charles Kelly filled in on interviews. The 21-year-old said that the confidence to step into these roles is natural.

"That’s just who I am as a person, I don’t really build confidence from anywhere," Shedeur said. "If you gotta build confidence ... you’re faking, you’re not who you say you are. So that’s just how I am day in and day out in any situation."

Sanders said that what stands out to him about Boulder is that rent rivals that in Los Angeles.

"I ain’t never seen a city with that cost of things that’s that high," he said.

He's also learning about the team's traditions and history by "messing up a couple times." Jackson State's colors were red and blue. But in his new environment, red stands for CU's longtime rival the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

"That’s how I figured out about the tradition by wearing red and stuff like that," he said. "I wasn’t too knowledgeable about the Nebraska stuff that’s going on because I’m new to the situation and it was — my old school — it was something different. So I’m definitely learning as I go about the dos and don’ts that we got here at CU."

Shedeur Sanders speaks on having family at CU

Besides having his dad as the coach at Colorado, Sanders is also joined by his older brother Shilo, who plays defensive back and transferred from Jackson State in May.

"It feels like it’s a reunion again, just in a different location, I’d say," he said. "But yeah, I’m excited that Shilo’s here and he’s a part of the program, just going against him every day in practice, it’s really exciting. It’ll be real fun."

And that's not all. His mother's cooking gives him a further sense of home.

"Mom making mac and cheese," he said after the day that left him "gassed." "Black eyed peas, greens, chicken, waiting on me right now."