Whoever was going to replace Shedeur Sanders as Colorado’s next quarterback was always going to face an uphill battle. After all, we’re talking about the son of the Buffaloes’ head coach, Deion Sanders. But few could have predicted where this competition would end up.
Colorado made two significant offseason additions at quarterback: four-star prospect Julian “JuJu” Lewis and Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter. Those were the two names dominating the conversation heading into the season—until Ryan Staub got into the action during Colorado’s game against Delaware last week.
Now, Staub is listed as QB1 for the Buffaloes' Week 3 matchup against Houston.
Former Colorado interim coach Mike Sanford said he isn’t surprised by Staub’s emergence, and the he has been "predicting this for kind of a while," per USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer.
“My take is he’s the best quarterback of the three, period, no matter how they got there,” Sanford said. “The world of football still comes down to a meritocracy, and whoever’s the best ultimately is going to have the opportunity to get out there and play.”
Sanford recruited Staub out of high school and convinced him to commit to Colorado nearly a year before Sanders and his son arrived.
“Sanford also counseled Staub after Sanders brought his son Shedeur with him to quarterback the Buffaloes in 2023 and 2024,” Schrotenboer wrote.
Will Ryan Staub remain QB1 for Colorado?
Staub apparently impressed Sanders enough in his season debut to beat out Salter and Lewis, both of whom came in with high expectations. Against the Blue Hens, Staub made the most of his opportunity, completing 7-of-10 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Salter went 13-of-16 for 102 yards with no scores. Lewis was 2-of-4 for just eight yards and no touchdowns.
Coach Prime made it clear he wants to stick with one quarterback moving forward, according to The Denver Gazette’s Tyler King.
“That would lead us to believe that it’s Staub’s job until he loses it,” King wrote. “That may be during this game, it may be in a few weeks, or it might not happen at all. But the guy who entered the season as the third-string quarterback is likely going to be the starter three weeks into the season. Can he keep hold of it, or will the Buffs go back to Kaidon Salter at some point?”
This is certainly not how Colorado fans envisioned life after Shedeur Sanders. Then again, none of it will matter if the wins come. Whether that’s with Staub, Salter or Lewis, Coach Prime will take the result.