DENVER (KDVR) — All summer long, fans and media speculated about the quarterback who would be named as the starter for the University of Colorado Boulder football team.
One of the candidates, Kaidon Salter, transferred from Liberty to CU for his senior season. The other name being tossed around was Julian Lewis, a highly rated, five-star quarterback who is only 17 years old.
Salter was the man who locked down the spot before the team’s first game against Georgia Tech, a game that the Buffs would eventually lose 20-27. Salter went 17/28 for 159 passing yards, threw a touchdown pass and rushed for 43 yards, including a rushing touchdown.
Following the game, head coach Deion Sanders teased that the young Lewis would see some play time in the second game of the season.
Against Delaware, Salter kept the starting spot. He went 10/11 for 70 yards and had 29 rushing yards, including a touchdown. He had a hot start, but was soon replaced by another quarterback to give them some play time — but it wasn’t Lewis.
Sanders put in third-string quarterback Ryan Staub, who ended up having himself a game in his short time on the field. He threw for 157 yards and two passing touchdowns. Sanders upheld his promise and got Lewis in the game following Staub’s impressive performance.
An impressive performance that has thrown a spanner in the works regarding the quarterback rotation.
On Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Staub would be named the starter against the University of Houston on Friday — a decision he has been preparing for since last season.
The sophomore quarterback is the most familiar with CU’s offensive schemes, having spent two years with the program as a freshman and a redshirt freshman. He has only played in seven games total, and in his first-career start, he went 17/24 for 195 yards and also threw his first career touchdown pass to Travis Hunter.
After two years of watching, learning and playing for the team, Staub capitalized on his opportunity and was rewarded with a starting spot.
So far, it seems like Sanders has a pretty fluid quarterback situation going on this year, and it remains uncertain what the rotation will look like. He might put in the player he believes matches up the best against opposing teams.
It’s typically incredibly rare to see three quarterbacks regularly played, but if there’s one thing that we know about Sanders, he is not afraid to take a risk.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
