Immediately after hauling in a diving, 47-yard touchdown catch on Saturday, Colorado receiver Will Sheppard repeatedly yelled, “I’m back!” Head coach Deion Sanders had to check him on that. “He caught the touchdown, and he was yelling, ‘I’m back!’” Sanders said after CU’s 48-21 win at Central Florida. “And I said, ‘You never left. You never left. What do you mean you’re back? You never left. We got you, man. We here for you.’ Will has been making plays all darn season. So we’re proud of him. 100%” Related Articles College Sports | How CU Buffs’ Will Sheppard kept faith with huge TD catch against UCF: “I just know who I am” College Sports | Keeler: If Deion Sanders’ CU Buffs bring what they brought to UCF, they can win this wacky Big 12 College Sports | Colorado School of Mines football runs RMAC win streak to 23 with rout of Black Hills State College Sports | CU Buffs vs. UCF quick hits: Deion Sanders’ Buffs have never looked better than they did Saturday in Orlando College Sports | Cal Poly football spoils Northern Colorado homecoming with 28-7 win CU (4-1, 2-0 Big 12), which is on a bye this week, is loaded with talent at receiver, with Sheppard being one of the best. But, the Vanderbilt transfer had yet to have a breakout game with the Buffs, and he was coming off a disappointing week. On Sept. 21, Sheppard caught just one pass for five yards in the Buffs’ 38-31 overtime win against Baylor. And, he dropped a deep pass from Shedeur Sanders inside the 5-yard line with two seconds left in regulation and the Buffs trailing 31-24. It’s debatable whether or not Sheppard would have scored on the play, as he appeared to be falling anyway and CU might have ran out of time and lost the game, but that became irrelevant when the Buffs tied the game on the next play. Shedeur hit LaJohntay Wester on a 43-yard pass to send the game to overtime. “If Will would have caught the ball (against Baylor), the time would have ran out the clock,” Coach Prime said. “That was God’s hand, man. So we’re grateful that it didn’t happen and I told him that.” Still, Sheppard wanted some redemption and he came back to post his best game as a Buff on Saturday, hauling in four passes for 99 yards and his 47-yard touchdown. It was his first score in a CU uniform. Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Will Sheppard (14) makes a catch for a first down against Colorado State Rams defensive back Elias Larry (3) in the second quarter at Canvas Stadium in Ft. Collins, Colorado Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post) “I think everybody saw what happened (against Baylor) and luckily we had LaJohntay come save the day,” Sheppard said. “I tried to not get too down on myself after that, and just know who I am and why I’m here and why I came here. And I think (the game against UCF) proved that and showed that.” The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Sheppard proved himself numerous times during his four seasons at Vanderbilt. He caught 152 passes for 2,067 yards and 21 touchdowns with the Commodores. He was Vandy’s top receiver in 2022 and 2023. CU knew it had stars Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. coming back this year, and they also knew they had a rising star in Omarion Miller returning. But, the Buffs jumped at opportunities to land Wester (from Florida Atlantic) and Sheppard because of their proven production. Of the big four – Horn, Hunter, Sheppard and Wester – Sheppard had the slowest start to the year, but CU never lost confidence in the senior from Mandeville, La. “Will is a dawg, man,” Coach Prime said. “I mean, you know he felt bad (after Baylor), because he knows what kind of plays he’s capable of. … Will has been making plays, man, he’s a dawg. We don’t really have a No. 1 receiver; we have several of those guys that could make plays and Will is one of them.” Shedeur never lost confidence, either, because of the rapport he’s built with Sheppard in practice. “I’m like, ‘Bro, don’t worry about all that. You know, you just had a slow start. Don’t get down about it,’” Shedeur said. “That happens to everybody but because I know the type of player he is, I know when he’s feeling himself and when he’s actually in his groove and when he’s comfortable. Then nobody could stop him. “The opportunity came, and I’m like, ‘Hey, this is it. Will, hey you gotta catch this one.’ So then he made a play and I was just excited. It was good for the team.” And good for Sheppard, who has caught 17 passes for 247 yards this season. “(Shedeur) having that confidence to keep coming and keep throwing the ball to me and taking those chances,” he said, “knowing that I’m gonna come down with it in moments like that just instills more confidence in me.”