Big 12: Inside the Colorado QB Battle

With Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders heading to the draft, the Buffaloes have a decision to make when it comes to next season's signal caller. They could start senior Kaidon Salter, transfer from Liberty University who was with the Flames for four years and has experience at the collegiate level. There is also the possibility of true freshman Julian Lewis contending for the spot, four star recruit and the number nine quarterback in the recruiting class according to 247 sports.

The more likely choice is Salter, as true freshman quarterbacks rarely start at the division one level. However, it is not impossible, as we have seen it before with highly talented prospects such as Dylan Raiola who started for the Nebraska Corn Huskers this season.

Salter was solid for the Liberty Flames during his time in Lynchburg, throwing for 56 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He also had 21 rushing touchdowns, making him a dual threat option for his new team. His best season came in 2023, where Salter had 3,965 total yards and 44 total touchdowns to his six interceptions.

The big question is if his talent will transfer to higher competition, with him making a jump from Conference USA to the Big 12. It is also worth noting that Salter had attempted to transfer from Liberty after his 2023 campaign with the team, but ultimately decided to come back. It seems that some coaches may have questioned his ability to compete at a higher level, but Coach Deion and the Buffaloes seem to have confidence in his skill set.

Deion also has high expectations for his highly sought after recruit. Lewis is coming from Carrollton High School in Georgia, with many fans believing he should fill the shoes of Sanders as the schools starting quarterback.

Lewis enrolled early at Colorado, playing only three years of high school football. In that time he has accumulated 11,225 total yards and 146 total touchdowns with 22 turnovers. These stats in the highest level of high school football Georgia has to offer had made him a high level recruit for some time.

Lewis was previously committed to USC but later decommitted and flipped to play for Coach Prime in Boulder.

With the school continuing to bring in more high level recruits from high school as well as the transfer portal, the team has seen a huge turnaround these past couple years.

It will be interesting to see which direction Coach Prime takes next year, with Salter and Lewis both having their advantages and disadvantages. No matter who starts the season, the team will look to improve on their 9-4 season which ended with a loss against BYU in the Valero Alamo Bowl. With big shoes to fill at quarterback, it will take a lot from either option to live up to the team's newly found hype that has been developed since Coach Primes arrival in 2023.

Charles Wesolowski is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email

cjw6772@psu.edu.