BOULDER, Colo. — Terrell Timmons Jr. was, like so many now, sold on the grandiose vision. The transfer wide receiver was convinced Colorado would make a stunning charge toward a conference title not just because of the Buffs’ famous coach — but powered by his new quarterback, Shedeur Sanders. Sanders had a direct hand in swaying many key players to take the risk.

“Two is going to take us there,” Timmons said before the start of the season.

A guarantee that, at the time, could’ve seemed a smidge idealistic.

But three months on, Colorado is not hard to find at 8-2, ranked No. 16 in the College Football Playoff rankings and in control of its own destiny in the shortening race toward a Big 12 Championship Game appearance. A Colorado win over Kansas on Saturday inside Arrowhead Stadium combined with No. 16 BYU beating No. 21 Arizona State on the road and Utah beating No. 22 Iowa State at home Saturday would clinch the Buffaloes a shot at the conference crown. They can also get there by winning out, including against Oklahoma State on Black Friday.

Yes, the Buffaloes are headlined by their effervescent head coach, Deion Sanders, the Heisman Trophy front-runner in two-way rarity Travis Hunter — and their quarterback. Shedeur Sanders is a pretentious lightning rod to some, a celebrity athlete with a celebrity father to others, and is in contention to be the first quarterback selected in next year’s NFL Draft. He has thrown for 3,222 yards and 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions through the first 10 games and is completing 72.9 percent of his passes, tied for second place in the FBS with Ohio State’s Will Howard.

But to get to where they are now, the Buffaloes needed much more. Shedeur, teammates say, knew it, which is why he went to work.

Beyond the endless reels of social media interview clips, beyond being one of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football for a second consecutive season, perhaps Shedeur Sanders’ most impressive feat was his role in aiding in building this Buffs roster.

His stardom helped lure a likely successor, too. On Thursday, Colorado landed a commitment from five-star quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis, a former USC commit. During Lewis’ first visit this summer to Boulder, he posed in a Colorado uniform on a gold throne as Shedeur handed him a set of keys, signifying what he would be inheriting.

Deion Sanders made no bones about flipping rosters if something isn’t up to snuff. He’s cleaned house at a historic rate. And after a humbling 4-8 season in 2023, Colorado had no choice but to beef up its offensive line and add to an already talented wide receivers group that featured Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Omarion Miller. Shedeur Sanders went recruiting, too.

Timmons said Shedeur reached out on social media to gauge interest after Timmons entered the portal from NC State last December.

“I would say 2’s approach is a very pro-mindset,” Timmons said when asked to describe working with him now on a day-to-day basis. “He’s very detailed with everything he does in the film room, on the field, off the field, everything. He’s very intelligent. You can tell he really looks up to Tom Brady with just the way he moves and operates.”

When former Ohio State running back Dallan Hayden was in Boulder on his official visit after entering the portal in April, Hayden said Shedeur wanted to sit down with him and explain what this year’s offense would need.

In January, Shedeur came across tape of former FAU wide receiver LaJohntay Wester, who had entered the portal a few weeks earlier.

“I pulled up his film, and I was recruiting him myself,” Shedeur said in April. “I pulled it up myself and was like, ‘Nah, we need this guy. This is the guy we want, this is the guy we need on the field.’”

Like his dad, Shedeur sold Wester on the vision of what it could look like if it all came together in Boulder. In his first year with the Buffaloes, Wester has nine total touchdowns and has been one of most dynamic receivers in the conference. In last week’s 49-24 win over Utah, Wester had a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown.

“He’s just a complete quarterback,” Wester said of Shedeur last month. “I’m glad to be on his side.”

LaJohntay Wester (10) has been a key addition for Colorado this season. (Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)

Another new wideout, former Vanderbilt transfer Will Sheppard, caught two touchdowns against Utah. At 6-foot-3, Sheppard is Shedeur’s most physically imposing receiver, an ideal complement to the all-around skill of Hunter and the speed of Wester and Horn.

While the receiving corps was boosted in the offseason, Hunter remains Shedeur’s go-to option. Hunter leads the team with 74 receptions, 911 yards receiving and nine receiving touchdowns.

The pair spoke of the chemistry they’ve developed earlier this month on Shedeur’s podcast “2Legendary.”

“You’ve just got to have that brotherly bond, even outside of football,” Hunter said. “If you trust me outside of football, of course you’re going to trust me on the field.”

For this pass-happy offense to reach its apex, more trust was needed elsewhere, too. As stellar as the second year in Boulder has been for Shedeur, the first was equally maddening.

Despite being one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country and having a 27-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio, he was also the most sacked quarterback in college football. He was sacked 52 times in 11 starts.

Shedeur called former Indiana right tackle Kahlil Benson after he went into the transfer portal last November to introduce himself. That same day, former UTEP guard Justin Mayers went into the transfer portal, and he had five missed calls from the same number. The guy who kept trying him? His future quarterback. A few months after he signed at Colorado, Mayers posted a video on his own YouTube channel of Colorado’s offensive linemen snowmobiling in the mountains above Breckenridge, Colo., with Shedeur.

One of those linemen was former five-star left tackle Jordan Seaton, who jokingly jumped out of his blocking stance shin-deep in snow with Shedeur laughing nearby. Shedeur, Seaton has said in various interviews, was one of the main reasons he chose the Buffaloes. As the race for Seaton’s signature heated up last December with other high-profile programs vying for his talent, Shedeur FaceTimed Seaton showing off his pricey diamond necklace and said, “We can shine together.”

Seaton was a mandatory blindside addition for the Buffaloes to try to keep Sanders upright. Still, the Buffaloes rank 94th in allowed pressure rate in 2024 (33.6 percent), only slightly better than last year’s brutal year in which they were 110th (36.7 percent). Shedeur and the line also have allowed 31 sacks through 10 games, which is 17 fewer sacks than this point a year ago.

Seaton said Shedeur’s desire to dissect defenses from the pocket and not overreacting to mistakes has helped his learning curve as a true freshman left tackle.

“Having a calm quarterback makes me more calm,” Seaton said last month. “It’s like Mike and Ike with me and Shedeur.”

Clint Trickett knows the range of Shedeur’s magnetism. Now Georgia Southern’s pass-game coordinator, Trickett recruited Shedeur while an assistant at Florida Atlantic four years ago. Before Shedeur joined his dad when Sanders took the Jackson State job in September 2020, Shedeur had committed to FAU.

“You want to have a quarterback who is your lead recruiter and who is that driving force, but at the same time, to have one that makes people want to come play with him, that’s not common,” Trickett said. “Most quarterbacks are all about going and getting it, but most don’t have the star power to bring them in the boat. That’s what makes him special.”

Colorado’s ambitious plan is working.

Yet Shedeur’s approach to leadership has been called into question by some. After Colorado was smoked by Nebraska in Week 2, his postgame comments about being sacked five times in comparison to none taken by Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola appeared to some like he was pointing blame at his own offensive line. In September, The Athletic’s Jim Trotter spoke to two former NFL general managers about how Shedeur’s personality and leadership style may impact how he’s viewed throughout the rigorous draft process.

“The stuff about the comments and things like that, people will worry about that a little bit, but the work ethic is the thing,” one former GM said.

On the first play of the game against Utah last week, Shedeur telegraphed a pass that was intercepted. He responded by going 30 of 40 for 340 yards, three touchdowns and completed 73 percent of his passes. Critical of himself afterward, Shedeur said he needed to “take over a little bit more” and was going to apologize to the rest of the offense.

“I can’t put the team in that type of situation,” he said. “I’m thankful for the defense. I may need to take them out to dinner this week for saving me and saving the team.”

His father has routinely said that if Shedeur is given adequate protection from his offensive line, he is good enough to win games with his talent. Deion recently said he will “privately” have a hand in which teams draft Shedeur and Hunter, speaking specifically to Shedeur on FS1’s “Speak” sports show, he wants an organization “that can handle the quarterback he is.”

The duo strolls the sidelines together before every game as Deion bestows advice on his son. “Show them who you are,” he said before the win over Utah.

Shedeur has been known to clap back at those who speak disparagingly of the Buffaloes or flaunt any number of his ritzy possessions — diamond-encrusted watches, cars, you name it — in the general direction of detractors.

Teammates say they don’t see that side of him as being a true representation of who he is. They chose to listen to what Shedeur Sanders was pitching because it’s playing out just the way he said it could. Or, in the parlance of his father, the way it always would.

“You know, he’s all on social media and famous, but he’s really a normal person,” Timmons said. “He’s not Hollywood. He’s a normal person like me and you. He’s just really good at what he does.”

 (Top photo: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)

Former 49ers star Terrell Owens and current San Francisco wide receiver Deebo Samuel engaged in a war of words this week.

Owens, who racked up 8,572 receiving yards over his standout eight-year run with the Niners, recently questioned whether Samuel was consistently giving his best effort when he was on the football field.

“Deebo is not really playing up to Deebo’s standards,” Owens said during a recent appearance on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco.

Owens went on to suggest that Samuel was not consistently giving his best effort when he was on the football field. He also took aim at Samuel’s fashion. 

“It seems like he’s more focused on his pregame attire than the game. If we can shift that focus, maybe that can energize and create some more production from an offensive standpoint. I’m just being tongue-in-cheek with that.”

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Samuel is often photographed during his pregame walk to the locker room. The 49ers social media account frequently shares photos of Samuel’s choice of clothing. The 28-year-old’s fashion statements have made headlines throughout the season.

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers former receiver Terrell Owens before Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)

Samuel, who earned First-team All-Pro honors in 2021, apparently caught wind of Owens comments and issued a four-word response. “T.O cut it fam!!!!” Samuel wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.

From a statistical standpoint, Samuel’s 2024 production could be considered underwhelming. He has recorded 490 receiving yards over the nine games he’s appeared in this season. The normally dual-threat playmaker has just one receiving touchdown and one rushing touchdown this year.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) runs for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Samuel has only racked up 79 yards on the ground in 2024. He finished 2021 with a career-best 365 rushing yards, and ended the 2023 campaign with 225 yards on the ground.

Owens is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and developed a reputation for being one of the hardest working players on any team he was on during his NFL career. But, Owen’s career was also riddled with controversy, which at times prompted questions about his maturity. Owen’s off the field antics merely exacerbated some of those concerns. 

The 49ers will try to bolster their playoff odds when they play the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 24.

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The Dodgers avoided arbitration with two pitchers Friday, agreeing to contracts for next season with right-handers Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, both of whom will be returning to the mound after missing all of this past season because of injuries.

According to people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly, May settled with the Dodgers at $2.135 million and Gonsolin at $5.4 million.

The Dodgers on Friday also non-tendered relief pitchers Brent Honeywell Jr. and Zach Logue, making them free agents and clearing two spots on the club’s 40-man roster.

The moves came ahead of Friday’s deadline for teams to tender contracts to pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players.

May, 27, has a 3.10 earned-run average in 46 appearances but has yet to fulfill his promise as a top prospect because of struggles with injuries. Since the start of 2021, May has made just 20 starts. In May 2021 he underwent Tommy John surgery. After returning near the end of 2022, his 2023 season was cut short by another elbow surgery, this time to repair his flexor tendon. Then, after hoping to return this past season, May required esophageal surgery in July, sidelining him for the remainder of the year.

Despite that, the Dodgers still envision May as a potential impact player in his final season under team control before free agency, hopeful that he still will possess much of his old, wicked stuff.

Gonsolin, 30, is in a similar situation. After his breakout All-Star campaign in 2022 was derailed by a late-season arm injury, Gonsolin struggled in 2023 before undergoing Tommy John surgery that August. He came close to returning at the end of this past season, including completing a minor-league rehab assignment. But the Dodgers didn’t put him on their postseason roster, deciding against rushing him back.

Both Gonsolin, who won’t be a free agent until after the 2026 season, and May are expected to be ready for opening day.

The Dodgers have six other players still eligible for arbitration: Evan Phillips (who is estimated to receive $6.2 million, per MLB Trade Rumors), Michael Kopech ($5.2 million), Brusdar Graterol ($2.7 million), Gavin Lux ($2.7 million), Alex Vesia ($1.9 million) and Anthony Banda ($1.1 million).

Another arbitration-eligible player, reliever Connor Brogdon, was outrighted to triple-A Oklahoma City last week.

Honeywell was non-tendered Friday after serving in a notable — and, to both the team and its fans, much-appreciated — innings-eating role in the postseason; including a 4⅔ innings outing in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series that saved the rest of the bullpen ahead of the Dodgers’ pennant-clinching win in Game 6. He also had a 2.63 ERA in 20 outings in the regular season.

Logue was a late-season pick-up who made just two outings with the Dodgers. The team’s 40-man roster now has four open spots as they proceed into the rest of the offseason.