CU Buffs bring present and future at quarterback to Big 12 media days

By Tyler King July 9, 2025 | updated 3 weeks ago

Big 12 Media Days Football — Colorado quarterback Kaidon Salter listens to a question during the Big 12 football media days in Frisco, Texas, on Wednesday.
The Associated Press

FRISCO, Texas — There’s an old saying in football: if you have two quarterbacks, you really have zero.

Deion Sanders disagrees.

That’s why Colorado’s coach brought both players competing to be the Buffs’ starter to Big 12 media days at the Dallas Cowboys headquarters on Wednesday.

“We brought both because I don’t know which one’s going to start,” Coach Prime said.

While nine Big 12 teams return a quarterback who threw for at least 2,400 yards last season in what is arguably the deepest and most talented conference for quarterback play, the Buffaloes are one of a few teams that is set to have a battle at the position in the preseason.

But they’re the only program who brought to Texas both players, including 17-year-old Julian “JuJu” Lewis.

“Honestly, I’m not gonna say I wasn’t a little overwhelmed,” Lewis told The Denver Gazette. “(At media day) in high school, I would take a couple pictures and do three or four interviews and it was time to go home. We’ve been here all day. It’s definitely a blessing that they trust me enough to come out here and talk for the team.”

Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis speaks to reporters during the Big 12 football media days in Frisco, Texas, on Wednesday.

The Associated Press

That’s because — even if he’s not the starter to begin the season, or at any point in 2025 — the former five-star recruit out of Georgia is the future of the Buffs program. Coach Prime and the coaching staff views him as a player with the potential to equal the star power of Shedeur Sanders across his two stellar seasons in Boulder.

“JuJu is coming around the mountain when he comes,” Coach Prime said. “And I love him. I love what he brings to the table.”

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But Lewis might have to wait a year for his chance. Veteran Kaidon Salter, a Liberty transfer with one year of eligibility remaining, is battling alongside him in the buildup to the season opener on Aug. 29.

“He’s been there, done that,” Sanders said. “He can get the job done. I wouldn’t have brought him here if I didn’t trust him.”

Across two full seasons as the starter for the Flames, Salter threw for over 4,700 yards and rushed for nearly 1,700 yards while racking up 66 total touchdowns. Yet, he chose the Buffs in part because he knew he wouldn’t be guaranteed a starting spot.

“It’s a little weird … but I knew no matter where I went I was gonna have to go in and compete, whether it was any one of the schools that was looking at me,” Salter said. “A lot of the schools was trying to give me that job and Coach Prime just telling me that I’m gonna come in and compete, (showing) what type of coach he is. He doesn’t care about me being the older guy, me being the vet. He just wants the best player out there on the field.”

If the Buffs can tap into the 2023 version of Salter — when he threw for nearly 2,900 yards and rushed for over 1,000 with 44 total touchdowns to lead Liberty to a 13-1 record and Fiesta Bowl appearance — the best option should become clear. Salter believes he gives the Buffs someone who can compete with the elite quarterbacks in the Big 12.

Fiesta Bowl Football — Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter (7) scrambles during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl against Oregon on Jan. 1, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz.
The Associated Press file

Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter (7) scrambles during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl against Oregon on Jan. 1, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz.

The Associated Press file

“I fit right in,” Salter said. “There’s great quarterbacks in this conference. You got Sam Leavitt at Arizona State, Jalon Daniels (at Kansas), Josh Hoover (at TCU), so on and so forth. It’s an amazing battle of quarterbacks in this conference, and we’re gonna show each other each and every week why we have the best conference (of) quarterbacks in the country.”

Whether it’s Lewis or Salter, Sanders is ready for a major change at quarterback.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks during the Big 12 football media day in Frisco, Texas, on Wednesday.

The Associated Press

“We can’t lose either way with either of those two,” he said.

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