Deion Sanders Reveals Latest Update on Colorado Buffaloes' Quarterback Competition

BOULDER — Coach Deion Sanders made clear during his Fall Sports Media Day press conference on Friday that he's in no rush to name the Colorado Buffaloes' next starting quarterback.

With about two weeks of fall camp now complete, incoming freshman Julian "JuJu" Lewis, Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and Ryan Staub are all in the mix to earn Colorado's starting job, a role held by Shedeur Sanders the past two seasons. For now, at least, "Coach Prime" is simply looking for all three to perform their best in practice.

Deion Sanders Shares Latest On Colorado's Starting Quarterback Battle

Deion Sanders Latest Colorado Buffaloes Quarterback Competition Julian Lewis Kaidon Salter Ryan Staub Big 12 Football Boulder — Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Kaidon Salter (3) during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Based on what "Coach Prime" revealed Friday, he likely won't come to a final decision regarding his starting quarterback until game week. The Buffs will open their 2025 season against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Aug. 29.

"I'm looking to have great practices by these two young men (Salter and Lewis), and the cream of the crop is going to rise," Deion Sanders said. "It's not an urgency that we got to name this and name that. Both these guys can play. I think we could play well with either one of them, but we want to put ourselves in the best position totally, so it's still going on."

Respect For Ryan Staub

While Staub will likely enter the season third on Colorado's depth chart, he remains a valuable member of the quarterback room.

"Don't underestimate Staub and what he brings to the table and what he brings to the room," Sanders said. "He's been in that room for the last couple of years, so he's seen some things that has had consistency in what we want to desire. What he means to that room is phenomenal, just being that older guy, that veteran that understands how we want things with these two new guys."

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What Kaidon Salter Brings to Colorado's Offense

Salter is the outside favorite to win the starting job due to his vast college experience and dual-threat capabilities. In his four seasons at Liberty, the Texas native threw for 5,887 yards, rushed for 2,063 and scored 77 total touchdowns.

"Coach Prime" shared that Colorado's offense will look significantly different compared to last year if Salter wins the job.

"Kaidon is a guy with multiple talents," Sanders said. "He can throw the football, he can run the heck out of the football. Sometimes in practice, you don't get a chance to see how good he is because when you run the quarterback, you know we can't hit him. But you can see the burst, the speed, the knowledge with reading the defenses... The kid is going to cause havoc. I'm just telling you, it's going to be a totally different type of offense from what you've seen us do in the past."