Colorado suffered from two high-profile exits, as QB1 Shedeur Sanders and Heisman winner Travis Hunter both left for the NFL. Many analysts have already been counting Colorado out, especially as head coach Deion Sanders is still recovering from his cancer battle. However, Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt thinks the opposite and is saying that the Buffs have actually improved.
During “The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast,” Klatt explained that while the team lost its two biggest stars. The Buffaloes have improved a lot more overall as a program, and this could upend most preseason projections against them.
“Have to replace the do-everything Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Do you have someone that can do that? No, obviously not,” the analyst said. “. But I do know that Colorado has gotten better in the foundational areas of their program that those two players masked over the last couple of years. They got much better on the offensive and defensive line. They were first in sacks defensively a year ago.” (23:15)
“Unfortunately, they were last in sacks given up on the offensive side. I think that will improve because Shedeur held the ball quite a bit. His belief in himself led him to hold the football,” he added.
He also noted that the Buffaloes have improved in the win column drastically since Deion Sanders took over, though he did admit that losing their starting QB in Shedeur Sanders has been a pretty big blow. He added that the Buffs have also improved from being the 124th-ranked scoring defense in 2023 to 42nd in 2024, which means that they are very sound defensively.
Who Will Be the Colorado Buffaloes QB1?
With that big question from Klatt, many are also asking who could fill Shedeur Sanders‘ shoes at Boulder? Currently, two possible QB1s are battling it out.
Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and five-star recruit and freshman Julian Lewis are currently battling it out for that coveted starting spot, with CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reporting that the likely candidate is Salter, a red-shirt senior who is now in his fifth year.
Salter has had 77 career touchdowns so far, while Lewis is one of the most highly touted quarterback recruits from the Class of 2025. While Salter is the likely candidate, it is still quite possible for Lewis, who is coming into Boulder with a ton of hype, to get that starting nod from Coach Prime. For now, people can only speculate.
Related:
Colin Cowherd Minces No Words While Blaming Deion Sanders for Shedeur’s NFL Draft Chaos
Deion Sanders Gets 100% Real on Choosing To Withhold Cancer Diagnosis From Mom Connie
2x SB Champ Deion Sanders Reveals Which Son Was ‘Built To Handle’ Brutal Truth Behind Health Mystery
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