Deion Sanders Reacts To Ryan Staub's Breakout Game, Colorado Buffaloes Quarterback Situation

BOULDER — Ryan Staub's breakout game against the Delaware Blue Hens has complicated things in the Colorado Buffaloes' quarterback room.

With the Houston Cougars next on the schedule, it's anyone's guess who will start at quarterback for Colorado moving forward. Although Delaware wasn't exactly the best measuring stick, Staub outperformed starter Kaidon Salter and freshman Julian "JuJu" Lewis, making the situation under center a little murky heading into the Buffs' Big 12 Conference opener.

What Deion Sanders Said About Colorado's Plan At Quarterback

Deion Sanders Reacts Ryan Staub Game Colorado Buffaloes Quarterback Situation Kaidon Salter Julian Lewis Delaware Blue Hens — Sep 6, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Ryan Staub (16) calls for the ball in the second half against the Delaware Fightin Blue Hens at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

For now, coach Deion Sanders is keeping his quarterback cards close to his chest.

"I know exactly how I'm going to handle the quarterback situation," Sanders said. "I'm not gonna say it, but I'm not lost for direction."

To speculate, Salter performed well enough against Delaware — at least early — to earn the start against Houston. The Liberty transfer completed 11 of his first 12 passes and also rushed for a touchdown while navigating a conservative set of offensive play calls from coordinator Pat Shurmur. Still, Salter missed opportunities to use his legs and was still out of sync with his receivers at times.

Lewis was thrown into action early in the second quarter and again late in the game. While it wasn't a great sample size (2-of-4 passing for eight yards), the 17-year-old struggled to get the offense moving in the right direction and likely isn't headed toward playing time against Houston.

"You can't throw everything at him; you don't want to do that," Sanders said of Lewis. "You don't want him to feel like he failed. You gotta proceed with precaution. Some guys want you to just throw them in there, and I'm too protective. I love the kid, and I want the kid to be successful, so we're very protective on what we do with him and what we can do with him, and really how we call things with him. We want him to be in a situation to excel."

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Ryan Staub's Emergence

Staub, who spent the past two years backing up Shedeur Sanders, looked the most comfortable on Saturday. The redshirt sophomore led three touchdown drives, including a six-play, 75-yard masterpiece late in the second quarter.

"I'm just so darn proud of that guy," Sanders said. "You have no idea how I feel about those types of guys who just hang in there. The opportunity may escape them, but people forget the last game against Utah a couple of years ago. He came in and did a fantastic job. He's just been waiting for his opportunity. He never jumped into the portal. He had every right to take that away, but he's just a great human being."