BOULDER, Colo. \u2014 Deion Sanders has a QB situation that he\u2019s in no rush to reveal.<\/p>\n
Option No. 1: Go with 17-year-old phenom Julian \u201cJuJu\u201d Lewis, a pure passer who can fling it all over the field, much like the Colorado coach’s son, Shedeur.<\/p>\n
Option No. 2: Lean on the experience of Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, a dual threat who can make big plays with his speed.<\/p>\n
Option No. 3: Both, in a creative rotation.<\/p>\n
The starter for the Buffaloes might even remain a mystery until 8 p.m. ET on Aug. 29, which is their kickoff in the season opener against Georgia Tech. Regardless of who’s under center, this will be a new-look offense with Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter now in the NFL.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth these guys can play,” Sanders said of the QBs as he enters his third season in Boulder. \u201cWe can play well with either one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Friendly rivalry<\/p>\n
Salter and Lewis have kept this heated QB competition from driving a wedge between them. They’ve developed quite a bond, even introducing one another to their family members.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis (10) throws under pressure from defensive end Arden Walker (53) during Colorado’s NCAA college football spring game, April 19, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. Credit: AP\/Jack Dempsey<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve talked more about life than football, which I think has actually helped us build a better relationship off the field,\u201d explained Lewis, who doesn’t turn 18 until next month. \u201cJust trying to keep it friendly, just keep it team related.\u201d<\/p>\n
One person who helps facilitate that is backup Ryan Staub, who started the final game of the 2023 season for Colorado when Shedeur Sanders was injured. Sure, Lewis may be the new kid and Salter the veteran, but Staub knows the ropes around the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d say my role is just to be the best teammate that I can be and help these guys grow,\u201d said Staub, who has appeared in seven games over the past two seasons. \u201cHelp the room grow as a whole. I think the team moves as our (QB) room does.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mentors<\/p>\n
Salter and Lewis have an NFL-experienced offensive coordinator in Pat Shurmur and an NFL-trained mentor in Byron Leftwich.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s paying dividends.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoach Leftwich, he most definitely has helped us,” Salter said.<\/p>\n
Salter joined the Buffaloes after after a productive career at Liberty. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Salter was responsible for 66 touchdowns over the past two seasons \u2014 47 passing and 19 rushing.<\/p>\n
\u201cKaidon is a guy with multiple talents. He could throw football and he could run the heck out of the football,\u201d Sanders said. “The kid is going to cause havoc.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Lewis, there\u2019s talent galore \u2014 a five-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. Lewis spent three seasons at Carrollton High School in Georgia, throwing for 11,010 yards.<\/p>\n
Lewis arrived in Boulder right after his high school season ended a year ago, just to get a head start on the transition to college.<\/p>\n
“I love everything about the kid, and he\u2019s going to soar,\u201d Sanders said of his young QB, who’s listed at 6-1 and 190 pounds. \u201cWhen it\u2019s his turn, trust me, you\u2019re going to know and he\u2019s going to soar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whoever emerges has big cleats to fill. Shedeur Sanders set numerous single-season records last year, including yards passing, completion percentage and passing TDs.<\/p>\n
Both are embracing the challenge of stepping in for him.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s not like they\u2019re enemies,\u201d Deion Sanders said. \u201cThey\u2019re dear friends, and they\u2019re trying to make each other better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Run game<\/p>\n
One thing that will help both QBs is a more effective run game. Last season, the Buffaloes had the worst rushing offense among FBS teams, averaging 65.2 yards per game. Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk was added to the staff in an effort to propel the rushing attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we’re better suited this year to have a better running game,\u201d Shurmur said. \u201cWe’ll see how it reveals itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
The offensive line, led by left tackle Jordan Seaton, is eager to step up to the challenge. Seaton thinks both QBs have unique skillsets that will be effective.<\/p>\n
\u201cSalt, he likes to use his legs,\u201d Seaton said. \u201cSometimes he gets in those sticky situations and he\u2019s going to make a play happen with his feet.”<\/p>\n
His scouting report on Lewis?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s more of a pocket guy but he will run if he needs to,\u201d explained Seaton, who trimmed down to 310 pounds this season to be even more mobile. “But he\u2019s going to stay in the pocket for what he needs and he\u2019s going to get the ball where he wants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Lewis and Salter throw passes that receiver Joseph Williams described as “not too hard, not too soft. The ball just sticks to you. It\u2019s super-hard to drop their passes because of how good they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for when Sanders might reach a decision, well, there’s no sense of urgency. But he does see the same thing out of both no matter which QB he selects.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see us winning,\u201d Sanders said. “Cream of the crop is going to rise.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BOULDER, Colo. \u2014 Deion Sanders has a QB situation that he\u2019s in no rush to reveal. Option No.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":137408,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[2871,1428,1318,1317,1315,1316,62,67,132,68,10190],"class_list":{"0":"post-137407","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-college","9":"tag-college-football","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-ncaa","12":"tag-ncaa-football","13":"tag-ncaafootball","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-wires-bot"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115011150552370830","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}