Although Deion Sanders hasn’t made anything official yet, the smoke signals are clear. Kaidon Salter, the battle-tested transfer from Liberty, is largely expected to win Colorado Buffaloes’ QB1 competition over phenom freshman Julian “JuJu” Lewis. The two couldn’t be more different in approach, age, or personality. But they’re both fighting for one thing: the right to succeed Shedeur Sanders. And ironically, only one of them actually plays like him.

The QB who most mirrors Shedeur. Cool in the pocket, reads-first, run-last is Julian Lewis. He’s a pure passer, just like the coach’s son. That fact alone makes this decision far more layered than your usual depth chart sort. As Rece Davis put it on the ESPN show: “Another one that I think is pretty interesting, and how long it stays in the spotlight remains to be seen because of how many games they may or may not win, is Colorado and replacing Shedeur Sanders.” The choice between Salter and Lewis, Davis noted, is at the center of CU’s intrigue. Pete Thamel followed: “I do think it’s wide open and they’re very different players.”

Kaidon Salter brings the college game’s most important currency: experience. “Kaidon Salter, I believe, had 23 wins as a starter at Liberty. That’s a lot of wins just in general in modern college football. I think 23-9 might have been his record as a starter there,” Thamel said. “That’s more wins than any Big 12 quarterback has returning.” Salter was originally committed to Tennessee, and he’s no stranger to spotlight pressure. He also brings mobility. A dual-threat who can force defenses into tough assignments post-snap. If Colorado wants someone who’s already weathered college chaos, Salter is the obvious pick.

But JuJu Lewis is a story unto himself. He reclassified from the 2025 class and should still be in high school. Yet there he was at Big 12 Media Days. Suiting up for interviews, handling attention far beyond his age bracket. “He’s not only a true freshman, he’s really a high school senior in age,” Thamel noted. “He was a little shy, a little just wide-eyed at all.” For context, Thamel added he’d never seen a true freshman at Media Days, let alone one barely out of prom season. “God bless Coach Prime. He’s who you want to talk to, right? He’s one of the most interesting players in college football.”

Lewis may not be physically commanding yet, but mentally, he gets it. When asked what Sanders and OC Pat Shurmur are looking for in their starter, JuJu kept it simple: “They want somebody that’s gonna take control of the team.” That’s a revealing quote. He knows exactly what’s at stake. But unlike Kaidon Salter, Lewis doesn’t bring any run threat. “JuJu won’t have that element of the run game there. He’s a pure passer,” Thamel said. He was once committed to USC and could’ve been the No. 1 QB in the current high school class had he stayed put.

Yet timelines are speeding up, and Coach Prime is under no illusion that he can “ease” someone into Power Five football. “My hunch is, and this is just a hunch, is that they’re going to go with Kaidon Salter. Not just to start the season, because he’s played a lot, and there’s not a lot of time,” Thamel added. That urgency matters. Colorado opens with Georgia Tech, and as Thamel noted, “You don’t have two drives to ease into college football… you might only get nine possessions.”

Fall camp begins Monday, and while both QBs know the spotlight is shared for now, only one will emerge with the keys to Sanders’ kingdom. Salter is older, faster, and more ready-made. That may ultimately tilt the scales toward the veteran. But JuJu Lewis isn’t going anywhere and if he doesn’t win this round, he’ll be back on that podium soon enough.

Kaidon Salter gets a taste of big boy ball, “It’s a Big Difference”

Kaidon Salter may have won 23 games as Liberty’s starter. But even he knows the jump from the Group of Five to Power Four ball isn’t just about jerseys and stadium size. The Colorado transfer is already feeling the difference.

“Bumping up from the G5 level to the P4 level, you’re gonna have those faster players and those bigger, physical players that’s maybe more prepared,” Salter said at Big 12 Media Days. The adjustment curve is real and the quarterback isn’t sugarcoating it. “You most definitely see it when you’re working with different receivers and watching the O-line put in the work that they put in. Going up against those powerful, fast defensive linemen and faster linebackers and bigger, lankier, taller corners, it’s a big difference, and I see it.”

That’s not just freshman wide-eyed wonder. That’s veteran self-awareness. Fortunately for Salter and for JuJu Lewis, who’s still in the thick of the battle, Colorado’s roster is better built to compete this year. Coach Prime prioritized size and experience in the trenches this offseason, and the receiver room is more than just flash. it’s deep and physical.