Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has offered a new perspective on the quarterback competition between Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis. During the “Say What Needs to Be Said” podcast with Asante Samuel, Sanders stated exactly what he wants to see from his quarterbacks as the 2025 season approaches.
“Consistency and leadership,” Sanders emphasized when asked what his quarterback needs to demonstrate. ”
“I want them to be consistent, like completions, completions,” Sanders explained. “I don’t need all this. Completions, completions, completions.
Sanders emphasized that leadership may be even more important than individual performance. He wants the quarterback to be able to instill confidence in everyone in the room, no matter the circumstances of the game on the field.
“I need leadership. I need these guys to believe that no matter what point of this game we are, that you can do this, that you got this,” he said.
The timing of Sanders’ return to full coaching duties adds extra significance to this quarterback evaluation. After defeating an aggressive iteration of bladder cancer earlier this year, Sanders missed much of the spring and summer workouts while recovering from the removal of his bladder.
Deion Sanders Reveals Team’s Emotional Response to His Cancer Battle
In the podcast conversation, Sanders explained how his players rallied around him after his health scare; Sanders relayed a very emotional account of his first practice back to work after his continuing health concerns.
“I told the whole team that on the first day I said, ‘Fellas, y’all know I’ve been through hell. I don’t want to yell. I don’t want to scream. I just want to sit back and watch y’all go get that ball,'” Sanders recalled.
The reaction from his players was beyond what Sanders expected. Sanders observed his players taking the field to compete with intensity and concentration without verbal motivation from the sideline.
“That first practice, boy, they went and got that ball. I didn’t have to yell. I had nothing. They did that, man. I was so proud of them,” he said.
The timeline for the quarterback competition is still fluid, as Sanders indicated. When asked by Samuel about when he would choose a starter, he kept that open-ended.
“It may happen this week. It may happen next week. In the next few weeks, it may happen right before game time. I don’t know. They dictate that,” Sanders said.
The Buffaloes are set to kickstart their campaign on 29th August, facing Georgia Tech. With the quarterback conundrum still quite relevant, it’ll be interesting to see who Coach Prime prefers later this month.
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