Prime Time Pressure: Who is Colorado’s QB1?
- Mia Driscoll
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
In the rapidly changing world of college football, the University of Colorado is a great example of the melting pot that teams are often composed of. After two seasons that revolved around high-profile personnel, CU has now turned to new faces to maintain the excitement surrounding the program.
In head coach Deion Sanders’ third season in Boulder, he is faced with his first major decision regarding who his starting quarterback will be (following in the footsteps of his son, Shedeur Sanders). Entering week 3 of the season, the Buffs have already rotated in just as many players under center.
The three individuals competing for the starting spot represent three modern tropes of football players: a veteran transfer with history at various programs, a fresh-faced top recruit with an impressive resume, and a CU player who stayed home throughout all the changes, eager to make a case for himself.
With each player bringing a unique experience and background to the table, Sanders and his coaching staff will need to decide who they trust to lead the Buffs to victory over the Houston Cougars on Friday.
Despite his positive praise of the composure of all three quarterbacks in the rotation this far, it is colloquially said that if you have more than one quarterback, you don’t have any quarterbacks. Keeping three players in rotation is not feasible, so the sooner a consistent presence in CU’s offense can be established, the better.
"I don't want to play musical chairs at quarterback,” Sanders said in a press conference this Tuesday.
Let’s take a look at the vastly different profiles of the three skilled players vying for CU’s starting quarterback spot.
Each option under center is of extremely similar size: all 6-foot-1, 190-200 lbs. The comparisons end there.
Kaidon Salter, Sr.
CU started the season with experienced transfer Kaidon Salter at the helm of its offense. Having built several years of confidence in his playing style at both Liberty and Tennessee, Salter ranked No. 11 among quarterbacks in the 2024 transfer portal.
His 5,887 passing yards and 56 touchdown passes over the course of his career with the Flames were accompanied by over 2,000 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns.
His mobility and creative pocket presence exemplify the dual-threat competitor that CU needs to stay competitive in a tough conference. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur saw how Salter’s maturity could benefit his young team.
Widely described as a leader at his former school, CU viewed Salter as a commanding force prepared to keep their team together. Salter entered the 2025 season with one year of eligibility left, ready to step into his role as the seasoned and dedicated teammate he had grown to be.
Despite winning the starting spot ahead of CU’s week 1 matchup against Georgia Tech, Salter’s performance left something to be desired. Finishing with a disappointing 57.4 total quarterback rating (QBR) in the loss to the Yellow Jackets, Sanders began to re-evaluate his QB room.
Julian “JuJu” Lewis, Fr.
A highly anticipated five-star recruit as ESPN’s No. 2 overall player out of Georgia, Julian Lewis’s reputation preceded him in his arrival to Boulder. During his exceptional high school career, Lewis became only the second player ever from Georgia to win the Gatorade Player of the Year (following Trevor Lawrence).
With an impressive amount of noise surrounding just his visit to CU last year, the freshman had major expectations awaiting his collegiate debut this 2025 season.
Many anticipated Lewis to pick right up where Shedeur Sanders left off. Bringing along with him the hype and buzz that has been associated with Boulder since Coach Prime’s arrival, this decorated freshman seemed to be the next step for a program in the limelight.
However, Lewis was listed as second-string after camp and through CU’s week one loss to Georgia Tech. After getting no playing time in the opening contest, Sanders announced that Lewis would see the field against Delaware.
Despite getting the chance to make his mark early in the game, Lewis’s outing left a lot to the imagination. Completing 2-of-4 passing attempts for just eight total yards, Lewis was ultimately unable to capitalize on the Buffs’ defensive stop, taking a sack in potential field goal range and ending his first half on a solemn note.
An underwhelming and scoreless outing for the highly coveted recruit, the freshman was quickly shuffled back to the sidelines in favor of the coaching staff trying out another puzzle piece in their offense.
Ryan Staub, Redshirt Soph.
Last weekend against Delaware, third-string quarterback Ryan Staub unexpectedly entered and immediately turned heads. Throwing for 157 yards and two touchdowns while boasting a 70% pass completion, the sophomore energized the Colorado faithful as soon as he stepped on the field.
Despite not being a major preseason contender, Staub shot into the frontrunner position after his explosive performance against the Blue Hens. The California native seized the moment when his name was called.
“He’s just unflappable, man,” Coach Prime said when describing Staub’s performance.
Despite not seeing the field much in his previous two seasons in Boulder, Staub looked ready to command a dynamic offense and drive his team down the field.
Through just 10 passing attempts, Staub doubled the number of touchdowns by both Salter and Lewis combined through two weeks and 44 attempts. His 71-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sincere Brown was good enough for the best of his young career.
With a storybook performance in his third year at CU, Staub has won over the fanbase and will look to continue to prove himself as the right fit for the Buffs.
While no official word has been released on a week three starter, Staub has been said to be taking a majority of first-team snaps ahead of a challenging Big 12 matchup in Houston (Friday, 5:30 MT, ESPN).
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