Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders swarmed at pop-up retail event, rakes in big sales

BOULDER, Colo. – Shedeur Sanders made quite a scene here Friday night as the star quarterback for the University of Colorado.

Starting at about 8:15 p.m. local time, he rolled down College Avenue on University Hill in his new $100,000 Tesla Cyberbeast.

After parking it on the street, Sanders, 22, entered a packed restaurant where fans, students and other partygoers had been waiting more than an hour for him to show up. This was all by design − a carefully managed pop-up retail event where he stayed for more than 90 minutes posing for pictures with fans and signing autographs, even signing his name on one man’s cheek and another’s bald head.

"One thing he understands is he has to touch base with the people," Sanders’ business partner Bam Hogue told USA TODAY Sports. "He has to deal with the people. He’s not just about social media. It’s about actually meeting people in real life and meeting your supporters."

By the time he left, Sanders − son of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders − had helped sell nearly $15,000 in merchandise under his signature brand: SS2 Legendary, according to a Hogue’s estimate. Hundreds of people had come through and waited to see him during the three-hour pop-up, including two on the way to the Denver airport and another woman who had come all the way from Florida.

Few other athletes in college sports could pull this off, besides his Colorado teammate Travis Hunter, the two-way star who held his own pop-up retail event Saturday at a different restaurant. It was NIL in action at an elite level – college athletes organically profiting off their names, images and likenesses by using their own brand to sell products and their own social media accounts to promote the event.

Shedeur Sanders – NIL money machine

The NCAA didn’t even allow college athletes to profit from their NIL until 2021. But Shedeur and his business team have shown how to master it, generating the buzz and demand for a pop-up retail event by promoting it on Instagram to his 1.8 million followers. It shows why Shedeur ranks No. 1 in college sports in NIL valuation at $4.6 million, according to projections by sports website On3. Hunter ranks fourth at $2.6 million.

Shedeur’s event was held at Peckish, a chicken wings restaurant with an upstairs bar area where he was allowed to set up his retail business free of charge in exchange for bringing all those customers into the establishment.

One man came over on the way to the Denver airport after seeing it promoted on Instagram.

"A lot of quarterbacks wouldn’t even come out and do an event like this," said Manny Lopez, who came down from the Fort Collins area. "I think it’s cool that he comes out and meets with his fans."

Growth of the Shedeur Sanders brand

Lopez had purchased shirts at the pop-up store upstairs, where they sold for $40 ($60 for long sleeves). Hoodies and football jerseys cost $80. Trucker hats cost $40, and wristbands sold for $10.

Much of the merchandise comes with the Sanders logo: $2. That’s a dollar sign (or his initial "S") combined with his jersey number at Colorado, where Sanders played in the annual spring game the next day.

Shedeur Sanders’ brand also has something else that sets it apart − a licensing deal to use Colorado’s own marks on the merchandise. Hogue said they’re paying around 12% in royalties for any merchandise sold with a Colorado logo.

"His brand has started from nothing to something like this," said Hogue, who knew Shedeur from Dallas, near where he grew up. "It’s almost like a dream come true man."

Hogue said they also did pop-up events like this at Jackson State, where Shedeur played before he transferred to Colorado last year. This was only their second pop-up retail event in Boulder, however. And it was rife with colorful moments, including the scene outside the restaurant when Shedeur’s brother Shilo arrived in his own Tesla Cybertruck and had it parked on the street in front of Shedeur’s.

Shedeur Sanders autographed several heads

At one point, a young man asked Shedeur Sanders to sign his right cheek. Sanders obliged, but the ink soon smeared. After another man asked the quarterback to sign his forehead, Sanders tried but struggled.

"Ah, he’s sweating too much!" Sanders said with a laugh. The ink wouldn’t stick to the sweaty skin.

One restaurant worker did successfully get Sanders to autograph the side of his bald head and proudly posed for pictures afterward.

Elsewhere in the crowd, videographers were asking fans to sign forms granting them permission to be filmed as part of the ongoing documentary series project about Deion Sanders. This indicates a third season of "Coach Prime" is in the works after the previous two seasons of the documentary series streamed on Amazon.

"Please be advised that SMAC Productions, Inc., is filming scenes and background material in this area, related to the production of the project currently entitled 'Coach Prime,'" said a notice taped to the wall in the restaurant stairs.

'He takes care of everybody'

Before Shedeur pulled up in his Cyberbeast, Kimberly English, a woman from Sanford, Florida, waited for his arrival downstairs after buying five shirts and four wristbands. She came to town for the spring game and also went to Atlanta to see Deion Sanders on his recent book tour.

"I’m just a big fan of theirs," English said.

After Shedeur arrived, she went upstairs to get his autograph, where he patiently smiled and signed countless items, in addition to obliging all the photo requests that bombarded him in the warm crowded environment.

Hogue called him a "humble young man."

"He takes care of everybody around him," he said. That includes two of his new offensive linemen at Colorado who came to the event Friday to see him – Indiana transfer Kahlil Benson and UTEP transfer Justin Mayers.

Hogue said more pop-ups with Shedeur are planned for the fall football season, his last one in college before he is expected to be a first-round draft pick in 2025.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usastoday.com