Shedeur Sanders had unfinished business left at Colorado.

The rising senior could have entered his name into the draft, but that wasn’t the ideal option for the quarterback after the way his season ended. Finishing his first year at Colorado 4-8 and suffering a back fracture wasn’t the way Sanders aimed to complete his career at CU.

Now, he’s back to put together a successful season and boost his draft stock along the way.

“We didn’t end the right way,” Sanders said. “I couldn’t leave on that note. It didn’t feel right overall.”

Due to the offensive line’s struggles through the 2023 season, Sanders gradually became the most sacked quarterback in the FBS. Fifty-two tackles later, Sanders had to sit on the sideline in the Buffs final game of the year.

“As soon as I took a step to jog or run, the back pain hurt extremely,” Sanders said. “It was something I never experienced before and it was something like when you really want to do something, but you can’t. It's like the feeling that probably coaches get whenever they want to be back out there playing, but they can't so it really hurts a lot mentally and physically.