Colorado Buffaloes' Kaidon Salter Ranks Highly In Important Big 12 Quarterback Stat

Experience is often the deciding factor in a quarterback competition, and Kaidon Salter has plenty as he battles incoming freshman Julian "JuJu" Lewis for the Colorado Buffaloes' starting job.

The senior Salter played in 35 games across four seasons with the Liberty Flames before transferring to Colorado in December, giving the coach Deion Sanders a ready-to-win option at quarterback. In those four seasons, Salter racked up 5,887 passing yards, 2,063 rushing yards and 77 total touchdowns as one of the nation's best Group of Five quarterbacks.

While Salter's 2024 season fell short of matching his Conference USA Most Valuable Player-winning 2023 campaign, he appears ready to compete against the Big 12's best, as evidenced by a notable Pro Football Focus statistic. Among returning college quarterbacks in the Big 12, Salter's PFF grade of 82.3 ranks fourth in the conference.

Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Kaidon Salter (3) hands the ball off to running back Titus Bautista (34) as defensive end Quency Wiggins (49) defends during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Highest Graded Returning Big 12 Quarterbacks🎯 pic.twitter.com/n6BM4iQ2Bd
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 6, 2025

“I have seen a lot and been through a lot with coaching changes and just my overall journey as a college athlete,” Salter said in March. “I feel like just me getting closer to God has brought me to where I am now. And, just being able to believe and do everything in the right way and try to be the best person for myself and for my team.”

The three quarterbacks ahead of Salter were TCU's Josh Hoover (83.3), Arizona State's Sam Leavitt (89.1) and Utah's Devon Dampier (89.9), who starred at New Mexico last season. Kansas State's Avery Johnson (81.7) and Texas Tech's Behren Morton (79.7) rounded out the list below Salter.

Surprisingly, Baylor's Sawyer Robertson, Iowa State's Rocco Becht and BYU's Jake Retzlaff didn't make the cut despite performing well last season. Regardless, the Big 12 should be among college football's best quarterback conferences, assuming Dampier and Salter transition well to the Power Four level.

During spring camp, Salter said former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders' success in Boulder played a big role in his decision to join the Buffs. Sanders threw for 4,134 yards last season and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

“The amount of passing yards Shedeur put up last year, and his completion rate and all his achievements are something that I love and most definitely led me to coming here,” Salter shared.

Most total TDs accounted for over the last two seasons among returning FBS quarterbacks:

Kaidon Salter, Colorado (66)
Cade Klubnik, Clemson (66)
Haynes King, Georgia Tech (62)
Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt (61)
Joey Aguilar, Tennessee (61) pic.twitter.com/7V3ENIOIqe
— Scott Procter (@ScottProcter_) May 19, 2025

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Getting to work with Deion Sanders' coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, was also a major factor in his transfer portal commitment.

“It was the best fit for me, and having the staff that they have here, everybody’s been to where I’m trying to get to,” Salter said. “Pat Shurmur, he’s one of the best offense coordinators, one of the best quarterback coaches in the country.”

To be clear, Salter still has to beat out Lewis and returner Ryan Staub for Colorado's starting quarterback job, but the Liberty transfer's impressive college resume certainly gives him a leg up.