Along with their underwhelming 1-2 start to the 2025 college football season, the leading storyline for the Colorado Buffaloes and head coach Deion Sanders has been their lack of a consistent starting quarterback.
While Sanders has addressed those concerns and has yet to have one of his three quarterbacks stand out above the rest, Colorado’s opponents have been following the developments at the passer position as well.
Colorado beat writer Scott Procter found similar quotes from both head coaches of Houston and Wyoming when discussing their game plan against the Buffaloes’ offense in relation to their quarterback struggles.
“Opposing head coaches in back-to-back weeks have basically said that Colorado’s offense doesn’t change much based on who’s at QB,” Procter wrote in a post on X.
Willie Fritz: “You look at the plays that were called, I think it’s similar.”
Jay Sawvel: “I don’t know that they alter their offense dramatically.”
Sanders has played each of Colorado’s quarterbacks at least once this season. Both transfer Kaidon Salter and former backup Ryan Staub have each started one game and saw action in another, while five-star freshman Julian Lewis has led just one drive so far this year.
Coaches Know About Colorado’s QB Struggles
Speaking with the media before their Week 3 matchup against the Buffaloes, Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz directly addressed CU’s quarterback situation and how he planned to capitalize on it.
“You look at the plays that were called, just the little bit I’ve been watching, you’re right they played all three guys,” Fritz said in his press conference before playing Sanders and Colorado. “I think it’s kind of similar, what they’re running.”
Fritz and Houston went on to beat the Buffaloes 36-20. They held Staub, the only quarterback who saw action, to 19/35 passing for 204 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. Colorado also lagged behind the Cougars in most offensive statistics during the game, while forcing six punts and holding them to just 15 total first downs.
While Fritz and Houston, a conference opponent, might be following the Colorado quarterback situation closer than other FBS teams, Sanders’ next opponent in Wyoming is also keeping tabs on the team’s offense, regardless of who starts at the quarterback position.
Speaking with the media ahead of their Week 4 matchup against the Buffaloes, Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel gave similar comments as Fritz when it comes to assessing Colorado’s offense.
“I don’t know that they alter their offense dramatically between each one of them,” Sawvel said. “Obviously it could be a little bit different focus, but we got to get ready for multiple different things.”
While the leading storyline in Boulder and around the Colorado football facility remains who will stand out and take the starting role, opposing coaches don’t seem to care. Houston handily beat the Buffaloes, but with Wyoming a big underdog heading into the game, time will tell if the Mountain West team will be as prepared as the Cougars were.
Sanders On The QB Situation
Though other coaches set to face Colorado seem to have a good handle on how to defend their offense, Sanders and the coaching staff find themselves on the other side of that coin, yet to name a starter against the Cowboys.
In his weekly press conference, Sanders addressed the position, saying he’s made up his mind as to who will start, but didn’t divulge further. But until he goes public with either Salter, Staub, or Lewis as the starter, speculation will continue.
After the loss to Houston, Sanders was blunt about Staub’s performance. While it was just his second-ever collegiate start, the former backup to Shedeur Sanders didn’t match his play in their Week 2 game against Delaware.
“Staub didn’t play well,” Sanders said. “That wasn’t his best, to say the least.”
Though Staub struggled, Sanders didn’t experiment last week by putting either Salter or Lewis in the fold. He had the opportunity, as the game looked out of reach for much of the second half, but instead chose to ride with Staub until the final whistle.
While Sanders has yet to commit to any of the three, he spoke about what traits he is looking for in a starting quarterback for the program.
“Leadership and consistency. That’s it,” Sanders said. “That ain’t much to ask for, is it? Leadership and consistency. I look for that for everyone.”
He didn’t give much other information about the passer position, but instead discussed how he doesn’t ‘see quit‘ in his team, despite his surprise after the Houston loss.
While Fritz and the Cougars didn’t have trouble against Staub, Sanders expects his team to have a better showing against Wyoming, even if they are ready for all three quarterback options.
Opposing CFB Coaches Throw Shade At Colorado QB Situation