Pat Shurmur Reveals How Colorado Buffaloes Will Handle Quarterback Announcement: Kaidon Salter or Julian Lewis?

BOULDER — Game week has arrived, and the Colorado Buffaloes have yet to announce who will start at quarterback in their season opener against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Friday evening.

Veteran Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter is largely expected to win the job over freshman Julian "JuJu" Lewis and returner Ryan Staub, but coach Deion Sanders and his staff have remained mostly hush throughout fall camp. With four days left until kickoff, it now appears likely that Colorado's starting quarterback won't be known until pregame.

Pat Shurmur Defers Reveal To Deion Sanders

Pat Shurmur Colorado Buffaloes Starting Quarterback Announcement Kaidon Salter Julian Lewis Deion Sanders Georgia Tech Week 1 — Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While speaking to the media on Monday, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said he'll let "Coach Prime" decide on when to reveal his starting quarterback.

"Coach (Sanders) will handle all that," Shurmur said. "We've discussed all of this at great length behind the scenes, and we'll just let it reveal itself. If there are any announcements, that's certainly something 'Coach Prime' will handle."

The wise move may be to remain silent until Friday, forcing first-year Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Blake Gideon to prepare for both Salter and Lewis. And because Salter brings a greater dual-threat element to the position compared to Lewis, the Yellow Jackets don't have an easy task in game-planning for both. Still, Georgia Tech would likely be surprised to see anyone other than Salter under center.

Pat Shurmur Pleased With Kaidon Salter, Julian Lewis' Development

Shurmur was then asked if he has been pleased with the growth of Salter and Lewis throughout fall camp.

"I feel like they've developed quite a bit," Shurmur said. "I think they're really fine players to begin with. They're both at different stages of their career, but I'm happy with the way that they've developed as quarterbacks, but then also within our scheme. I'm looking forward to seeing how far we've come this Friday."

Salter, of course, has the leg up in terms of experience after throwing for 5,887 yards and rushing for over 2,000 in four seasons at Liberty. However, Lewis has impressed many with his arm strength and accuracy as a 17-year-old true freshman.

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"Kaidon, the experience of having played in a bunch of games at the college level, there's really no substitute, in my opinion, for good experience. You can copy people's knowledge, but you can't copy their wisdom. And I think as you get older and play more, you become wise in situations that you maybe haven't experienced."

Regarding Lewis, Shurmur said Colorado remains focused on helping build the rookie quarterback's foundation at the college level.

"JuJu is super talented," Shurmur said. "He's seen a lot, and he'll be able to roll with it. Hopefully, to this point, we've given him things to work with and trained him on what to see."