Son of Falcons Coach Apologizes For Pranking Shedeur Sanders During NFL Draft

Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, has issued a formal apology for a prank call he made to Colorado Buffaloes quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders on Friday during the 2025 NFL Draft.

Sanders is the son of Colorado coach and NFL legend Deion Sanders and made headlines over the weekend for his significant drop in the draft, from being projected as a potential first-round pick to being chosen in the fifth round.

Ulbrich was able to find the football player’s phone number and orchestrated the prank call to Sanders claiming he had been selected by the New Orleans Saints, per CNN.

Sanders was live-streaming his draft experience when he received a call from someone impersonating Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis. The caller said, “We’re going to take you with our next pick,” then added, “But you’re going to have to wait a little longer,” before abruptly hanging up and laughing. A recording of the call went viral on social media. 

The other end of the Shedeur Sanders prank call has been leaked.

Nasty work.
pic.twitter.com/AGoX9sc5h7

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 26, 2025

Jax Ulbrich admitted to accessing Sanders’ draft contact information from an open iPad at his parents’ home and orchestrating the prank. He said in his apology that his actions were “completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful.” 

“I’m so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish. I could never imagine getting ready to celebrate one of the greatest moments of your life and I made a terrible mistake and messed with that moment. Thank you for accepting my call earlier today, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me,” he said.

The Atlanta Falcons also released a statement confirming Jax’s involvement and clarifying that Jeff Ulbrich was not involved in the prank. The team apologized to Sanders and his family and pledged to review and update security protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future. ​

Sanders responded by calling the prank “childish.”  

“Nobody has that number but coaches, strictly for that reason,” he said. “Why get mad? They want you to have a certain type of reaction to it. They want you to feel bad. But I ain’t trippin.’”

Sanders was later selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round as the 144th overall pick.