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5 hours ago
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Colorado Buffaloes football coach Deion Sanders’ most important goal this offseason in Boulder was to ensure the NFL-bound Shedeur Sanders was being properly replaced at the quarterback position.
CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah believes neither Kaidon Salter nor Julian Lewis gives the Buffs a chance to replicate CU’s nine-win season in 2024.
Jeyarajah gave Colorado a ceiling of eight wins and a floor of five, sounding unsure of what to truly make of Sanders’ replacement platoon.
“For the first time under Deion Sanders, Colorado is going to be a normal football team. The Buffaloes' defense will be the star of the show after adding Jaheim Oatis from Alabama, and defensive coordinator Robert Livingstone elevated the unit tremendously. Quarterbacks Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis ensure that the position remains in good hands, especially with receiver Drelon Miller still on campus,” Jeyarajah wrote.
“The last two years at Colorado have been built around sensational talents Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. With the pair gone, does Colorado have the dynamic talent to keep things rolling? There's no guarantee Salter or Lewis can keep up the production, especially with a shaky offensive line. There are landmines all over the schedule.”
It’s possible that Salter and Lewis both get snaps in 2025, but the former is almost certainly set to start the season as the primary signal-caller after Pat Shurmur announced the team’s desire to have an upperclassman with one year of eligibility before signing the Liberty transfer.
Salter put up gaudy numbers against Conference USA competition in 2024. He’ll need a similarly stout performance from his protection in front of him at CU to put a bow on his college career.
If not Salter, Lewis is coming in from Carrollton, Georgia, with unprecedented hype for a Colorado recruit.
Against Big 12 defenses, anything is possible. But without Shedeur, it’s an uphill climb for Coach Prime’s program.
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