Former Colorado Buffaloes Shedeur Sanders, Jimmy Horn Jr. To Reunite In NFL Preseason

A battle of former Colorado Buffaloes teammates will have a national audience over the summer.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders and the Cleveland Browns will meet wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. and the Carolina Panthers to kick off both NFL careers on Aug. 8. The preseason-opening contest will have a national television broadcast on NFL Network.

All three of the Browns' preseason affairs will be broadcast on NFL Network. Carolina's Week 3 preseason matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers will also air on the same channel.

Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Colorado wideout Jimmy Horn (WO20) and Colorado quarterback Shadeur Sanders (QB13) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The meeting will come roughly eight months after the two last shared a field as teammates with Colorado. Back together but on opposing sides, Sanders and Horn established a memorable connection over two years in Boulder and were both selected on the 2025 NFL Draft's final day last April.

Horn also saw Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders as a father figure. "Coach Prime" quickly took the wideout under his wing while Horn's birth father watched his son play from behind bars. It led up to the coach walking alongside his wideout on Senior Day last November.

Horn overcame adversity to become part of a historically great wide receiver room with the Buffaloes in 2024 that included two other NFL draftees, No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter and Baltimore Ravens fifth-rounder LaJohntay Wester.

This corps helped Colorado win nine games and reach a bowl game, its first in a full season since 2016.

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Though he's currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, Horn should be ready to square off with the Browns come August. The speedster has made a strong showing in camp and OTAs with Carolina and should be a factor on special teams and out wide this preseason.

The meeting could be the last time both former Colorado stars are on the same gridiron for a long time, given that their teams are in different conferences. Additionally, it's not a given that Horn makes the Panthers' 53-man roster despite his sixth-round draft choice.

Sanders' roster spot is secure. However, his placement on the depth chart is anything but. Sanders slipped farther than any analyst projected him to in the draft, including past former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Sanders and Gabriel are now teammates, jockeying for status with the Browns.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) listens to the play calling on the sideline during an NFL practice at the Cleveland Browns training facility on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sanders has proven his worth during OTAs, but still has a long journey ahead before any discussions around him being named the Browns' starter begin. Still, he's likely to meet Wester twice this regular season as a division rival (Week 2, Week 10).

Additionally, Horn will face Hunter's Jacksonville Jaguars to begin the regular season this September.

Colorado's NFL draftees weren't just teammates, they were great friends who dominated Folsom Field and made countless memories while doing so. Sanders and Horn will get a national stage to display their talent this preseason, which allows any moment shared between the two to have more eyeballs and a wider platform for its longevity.

The Buffs are in the midst of a new era, but Sanders, Horn, Hunter and Wester will carry the legacy they established with the black and gold into the next level for years to come.