Deion Sanders Declines to Name Colorado QB1 Between Julian Lewis, Kaidon Salter

Colorado's first game of the 2025 college football season is next month, but head coach Deion Sanders still hasn't decided who will be starting at quarterback.

Sanders said Wednesday he brought both Julian Lewis and Kaidon Salter to Big 12 media days because he has not yet picked a starter, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. "We can't lose either way, with either of those two," he added.

All eyes will be on the quarterback position for the Buffaloes this season because they are replacing 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Shedeur Sanders.

Both Lewis and Salter are new to Colorado, although they arrived in vastly different fashion.

Lewis is a true freshman this season as a 4-star prospect and the No. 6 quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He is the headliner in a solid recruiting class that also featured five other 4-star prospects.

Salter is far more experienced at the collegiate level and transferred to Colorado following four seasons at Liberty.

He was especially dominant during the 2023 season when he completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,876 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 1,089 yards and 12 scores on the ground. The Flames went 13-1 that season with the only loss coming to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.

Liberty took something of a step back last year and went 8-4 while Salter completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 1,886 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions to go with 579 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

If Sanders wants to go with experience and a true dual-threat, Salter will get the nod. However, he could also look toward the future with Lewis as a program cornerstone and let the true freshman pick up key experience right at the start of his career that could pay off down the line.

The Buffaloes open the season with a marquee nonconference game against Georgia Tech on Aug. 29, so whoever earns the starting nod will be expected to perform at a high level right away.

They also face Houston, BYU and TCU in the first six games, so the quarterback play right out of the gates could go a long way toward determining their ultimate fate in the 2025 campaign.