When former Liberty Flames quarterback Kaidon Salter signed with the Colorado Buffaloes out of the transfer portal, college football fans immediately assumed he was in Boulder to be the heir apparent to Shedeur Sanders as the QB1.
Yet, with highly regarded high school recruit Julian “JuJu” Lewis also arriving at the Big 12 program, Deion Sanders is set to have one of the most electric quarterback battles in the country on his hands. Furthermore, Salter admitted that there were no guarantees made to him when he signed with Coach Prime.
Kaidon Salter, Julian Lewis Set To Compete For Colorado QB1 Spot
“No promises, all competition.”
Colorado QB Kaidon Salter on 5⭐️ QB Julian Lewis and if anything was promised :
“No promises…All competition”
“He’s a younger guy, They wanted somebody in the room that can mentor him…Feel like I’m that guy who can do that”
🎥 : @wfaa pic.twitter.com/O0hZjt4Ba5
— We Coming 🦬 (@SkoBuffsGoBuffs) January 4, 2025
It’s easy to assume that a quarterback of Salter’s caliber would not just command the QB1 position with Colorado but that his body of work could demand such a guarantee. The former four-star recruit is a season removed from earning Conference USA Player of the Year honors after guiding Liberty to an unlikely place in a New Year’s Six bowl game against the Oregon Ducks.
During his time in Lynchburg, he’s thrown for almost 6,000 yards with 56 passing touchdowns while adding another 2,006 yards and 21 touchdowns with his legs. A legitimate dual threat with the arm talent to throw into tight windows, he was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal.
However, in an interview with WFAA, he showed that he is willing to compete with a true freshman who has yet to prove himself at the college football level. More than that, Salter opened up on how he sees his role in the Colorado quarterback room during the upcoming season, his last at the college football level.
“I’m willing to come in and compete. You know, JuJu, he’s a younger guy, of course, so they wanted someone in the room that can mentor him and help him come into college and feel comfortable, and they felt like I was that guy that can do that, and I also feel like I’m that guy that can do that.”
In some respects, Salter already started that role before he even knew it was in his future. During the past summer, the new Colorado quarterbacks met under different circumstances, with Lewis receiving an element of mentorship from the former Liberty quarterback at the Elite 11 quarterback competition.
He got the opportunity to see firsthand the skill set that made Lewis the number-one quarterback in College Football Network’s 2025 QB class rankings, with Salter praising the former Carrollton High School quarterback as “a playmaker” and “one of the best quarterbacks in the class.”
Those qualities come alongside confidence, with Lewis telling “The Pat McAfee Show” that he wants to “come in and compete and start as a freshman” while admitting he “wouldn’t have much fun sitting on the bench.”
Those words could speak to a fractured quarterback room amidst a heated competition and rivalry for the Colorado QB1 spot, but Salter doesn’t see it that way.
“So, just being able to compete and go out there and do what we have to do, help each other, build each other up. It’s all love over there and it will be a great competition between us, and that’s what it’ll be; no promises, all competition.”
While it’s all love and eagerly awaited competition in January, when it comes down to the nitty gritty of his expectations for the 2025 college football season, Salter isn’t afraid to stake his claim. Like Lewis, he didn’t come to Boulder to spend the season riding the pine. He has his eyes on one prize, and one prize only.
“Of course, QB1.”
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