Owls get prime-time commitment

Florida Atlantic has received a commitment from a four-star quarterback prospect.

Shedeur Sanders, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, announced on social media Monday evening that he’s committed to the Owls’ 2021 recruiting class.

Sanders, who’s entering his senior season at Trinity Christian School (Cedar Hill, Tx.), is ranked as the No. 8 pocket-passing quarterback in the 2021 class by ESPN and the No. 14 pro-style quarterback recruit by 247 Sports. He had offers from several notable Power Fives schools, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan and UCLA.

If Sanders maintains his commitment and signs with FAU, he’ll be the Owls’ highest-rated recruit based on 247 Sports composite score (0.9148) in the website’s database, passing defensive tackle Noah Jefferson (0.8892).

“With everything going on in our country, there’s so much important to me. And one of those things is playing for a Black head coach — one that’s real to me,” Sanders said in his commitment video on Instagram that featured Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Snoop Dogg asking him where he was committing to. Sanders’ teammate Cam’Ron Silmon, who’s a safety at Trinity Christian School, also committed to FAU in the video.

Sanders threw for 3,459 yards and 47 touchdowns during his junior season in 2019. He’s thrown for nearly 8,800 yards to go along with 123 touchdowns during his three high school seasons. The Owls lead Conference USA in commitments and have the highest-ranked recruiting class in the

conference, according to 247 Sports.

247 Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins compared Sanders’ game to Indianapolis Colts quarterback and Dwyer High School graduate Jacoby Brissett.

“Highly productive and a winner with a pair of state championships to his name,” Biggins wrote.

“Athletic frame, moves well and can extend plays. Does a nice job making that initial pass rusher miss, doesn’t panic and shows poise and calmness in the pocket. Has dual-threat ability and can pick up big chunks of yards with his legs but doesn’t take off and run as much as you would expect. Has enough arm strength to get the ball down the field and shows nice touch on his deep ball. Can tighten his release a bit but has some solid tools that project well to college. Upside is an impact upper-tier Power 5 starter and potential NFL draft pick.”