The Four Toughest Quarterbacks The Colorado Buffaloes Will Play This Season

The Colorado Buffaloes, led by coach Deion Sanders, have a great opportunity to make a significant improvement after overhauling the roster, in addition to bringing in Brennan Marion as the new offensive coordinator and elevating Chris Marve to take over as the new defensive coordinator.

Even with the revamped roster, Colorado does have several tough games on the schedule with very talented quarterbacks. With that in mind, here are the four toughest quarterbacks that the Buffaloes will face in 2026.

The Four Toughest Quarterbacks Colorado Buffaloes Will Play Drew Mestemaker Devon Dampier Connor Weigman Avery Johnson — Drew Mestemaker (17) runs drills during Oklahoma State football practice in Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State Cowboys

With all the player movement this offseason, the Oklahoma State Cowboys were able to add one of the top quarterbacks available in the transfer portal in the form of Drew Mestemaker, who played for North Texas in 2025.

Last season with North Texas, Mestemaker was one of the best quarterbacks in the country as he totaled 4,379 passing yards (No. 1 in the country), 34 passing touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Throughout the 2025 season, Mestemaker showcased his ability to create explosive plays constantly with his arm, which led to five 300-yard performances and two games where he went over 400 yards.

As Mestemaker transitions to Oklahoma State, his ability to make almost every throw he needs to is something that could lead the Cowboys to having one of the more explosive defenses in the Big 12.

With Marve now leading the Colorado defense, it will be interesting to see how he deploys his physical and adaptive scheme to try to slow down Mestemaker and what could be a very dynamic Oklahoma State passing attack.

Devon Dampier, Utah Utes

Another quarterback the Buffaloes will have to stop is Devon Dampier of the Utah Utes. Dampier is very dangerous as he can be productive as a passer, but is just as dangerous on the ground as a rusher.

In 2025, Dampier totaled 2,490 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and five intercpetions while adding 835 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Last season, Utah did play against Colorado, but Dampier did miss that game due to a lower leg injury, but the Utes did have a dominating win over the Buffaloes after rushing for 422 yards and controlling the clock.

Heading into 2026, Dampier may look to replicate that performance when Utah matches up with Colorado. However, with Marve’s defense and the new transfer portal additions on the defensive line and at the linebacker position, the Buffaloes should be much better on the ground.

If Colorado can limit Utah’s success on the ground, it will be interesting to see how Dampier fares against the Buffaloes’ secondary and if the limited impact for the Utes on the ground does lead to a Colorado victory.

Connor Weigman, Houston Cougars

The Buffaloes also match up with the Houston Cougars and quarterback Connor Weigman. Last season, Weigman was solid for the Cougars as he tallied 2,705 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine intercpetions in addition to 700 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rusher.

Colorado did play against Weigman in the 2025 season, and unfortunately, the defense did not fare well as Weigman went 15/24 for 222 passing yards and rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns in a game that Houston won 36-20. With the dual-threat ability that Weigman has, he creates several problems, and with his mobility, the play is never over based on the fact that he can get extra yards with his legs.

Similar to the way Colorado may look to slow down Dampier, if Marve can craft a game plan that keeps Weigman in the pocket and forces him to make tough throws, the Buffaloes could be in a much better spot to have a much better defensive performance, but also pull off an upset against Houston, which could significantly shake up the Big 12.

Avery Johnson, Kansas State Wildcats

The Big 12 has yet another mobile quarterback in Avery Johnson of the Kansas State Wildcats. During the 2025 season, Johnson was a reliable option for the Wildcats as he totaled 2,835 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six intercpetions. On the ground, Johnson added 477 yards and eight touchdowns.

At the end of last season, the Buffaloes played the Wildcats in the regular season finale, where Johnson led Kansas State to a 24-14 win, but his impact on the game was somewhat minimized. In that game, Johnson went 10/17 for 115 yards and rushed for 36 yards. While the Buffaloes did lose the matchup with the Wildcats, Colorado did do a solid job limiting Johnson’s impact on the game. The downfall of the Buffaloes was the Wildcats’ rushing attack led by running back Joe Jackson, who had 26 rushes for 142 yards and three touchdowns.

When Colorado matches up with Kansas State next season, it will be very intriguing to see how the Wildcats attack the Buffaloes' defense if Colorado does take a major step forward against the run and minimize the effectiveness of the Kansas State ground game.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google