Shedeur Sanders, son of Deion Sanders, commits to FAU

BOCA RATON, Fla. — The son of a former Florida State standout apparently won't be playing football for his father's school, though he will play for its ex-coach.

Four-star recruit Shedeur Sanders, son of former Seminoles star Deion Sanders, committed to Florida Atlantic on Monday, spurning offers from traditional football powers like Florida State, Florida, Georgia and Alabama to play for head coach Willie Taggart.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound quarterback from Texas is rated as the No. 8 pocket passer and 41st overall player in the class of 2021.

Shedeur Sanders threw for 3,477 yards, 47 touchdowns and four interceptions as a junior last season.

Taggart enters his first season at FAU after he was fired just 21 games into his tenure in Tallahassee. He takes over for Lane Kiffin, who left for Mississippi after guiding the Owls to two Conference USA championships in three seasons.

Shedeur Sanders will join Taggart's son, Willie Taggart Jr., and returning starter Chris Robison on the depth chart in 2021.

Taggart's rapport with Deion Sanders may have helped convince the younger Sanders to play for the Owls. Deion Sanders was reportedly being considered for the defensive coordinator job when Taggart took over for Jimbo Fisher at Florida State, although Taggart wound up hiring then-Michigan State co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett.

Sanders was a two-time All-America cornerback for the Seminoles in 1987 and 1988. He also won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back as a senior in 1988.

Nicknamed "Prime Time" because of his flashy play and boastful talk, Sanders was the fifth overall pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 1989 NFL draft. The eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback spent 14 seasons with the Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens, winning back-to-back Super Bowls with San Francisco and Dallas.

Taggart expressed his excitement on Twitter, retweeting a post from Shedeur Sanders announcing his decision and writing, "Welcome to Paradise. Go Owls!"