San Antonio • Shedeur Sanders spent a good amount of time this month preparing for his future.

The potential top pick in the NFL draft knows what is coming next: interviews with general managers, endless speculation about which team he wants to play for, and the weight of carrying his father’s Hall of Fame legacy.

“I’ve told all the NFL scouts, if you need a quarterback, take Shedeur. If you don’t take him, you’ll take the second-best guy,” his offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said, already politicking on his behalf.

But even as Sanders readies for the spotlight, he’s also preparing for one more challenge: BYU’s defense.

Sanders is emphatic he will finish his career against the Cougars in the Alamo Bowl — a highly unusual move for a top draft pick.

“I don’t do what other people do,” Sanders said. “Even from the beginning, we went to an HBCU [Jackson State] and not every other offer in the country. It is about the team and everything I stand for. It is about cherishing the moment.”

So what has Sanders actually seen from the Cougars? For one, he is concerned about their defensive line.

“I think they got a pretty good D-end that is bound to go second round,” Sanders said. “So that is kind of my focus right now.”

It was unclear who he was talking about. Tyler Batty was BYU’s first-team All-Big 12 selection, but not a projected high draft pick.

Still, Sanders thinks the strength of BYU’s defense is in its unpredictability. Defensive coordinator Jay Hill will change up the looks he gives Sanders — and alter where he is bringing pressure from.

“They do everything 98% right,” Sanders said. “It’s defense. So eventually somebody is going to bust a coverage. But watching film on them, it is very hard to find a tell, find a flaw. Because of the way they get into their stunts, the way they are able to move and react in different ways, you don’t know who is doing what. They got a great scheme, they got a great everything.

“I’m very blessed for my final collegiate game to go against that type of challenge,” he added.

Hill called Sanders one of the best quarterbacks he’s seen since taking the job in Provo two years ago.

“We are going to have to do some things to get pressure on him, do some things to disguise coverages,” Hill said. “Shedeur is an intelligent quarterback. So if you just do one thing, he knows where to go with the ball and he is very accurate.”

Sanders has thrown for 3,926 yards with a 74% completion rate this season. His accuracy leads the country.

“He runs around well, extends plays and is accurate with the ball,” Batty said. “Even when he is getting hit. For us, it presents an opportunity to get some sacks. We know he is going to hold onto that ball longer. But at the same time, you’ve got to be careful. You can’t let him run free and complete those long balls.”

A Lassiter return?

Could one of BYU’s best players return next year?

Wide receiver Darius Lassiter is thinking about it.

Players who spent time in junior college were given an extra year of NCAA eligibility in 2025, the governing body of the sport announced recently. It theoretically means Lassiter, a senior, could come back for yet another year in Provo. He started his career at Butler College, a JUCO in Kansas.

“We talked about it a little bit,” Lassiter said of conversations he’s had with his coaching staff. “Their main focus was for me to be ready for the bowl game. We will talk about that after the bowl game. If that is something I want to do, we will see fit.

“It is a possibility,” he finished.

Hill said the program is still looking into what the NCAA ruling means, but coaches are having discussions with other players who might be able to return.

Cornerback Mory Bamba falls into that category.

“I think there is a lot that is out there that is to be decided about what that ruling is,” Hill said. “But we do have a few really good players who fall into that boat on both sides of the ball. And we’d be very excited to get those guys back if we can.”

Jack Kelly, too?

BYU’s starting linebacker isn’t a junior college player, but he does have one more year of eligibility if he wants it.

Kelly could be an NFL player at the end of this season. He has 49 tackles and emerged as one of Hill’s best pass-rushing threats.

He said he hasn’t made a choice, but will decide shortly after the Alamo Bowl.

“Still deciding,” he said. “Still in the process. Got to talk to my parents, family, pray about it. All those sorts of things.”

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