Quarterback Challenge at Colorado

Deion Sanders faced a quarterback challenge on Saturday, and he said, “I knew exactly how I was going to handle it.” The specifics of his approach became clearer on Tuesday.

The University of Colorado gained a significant recruit when five-star quarterback Julian Lewis committed to the Buffaloes last November after leaving USC. Last weekend, against the University of Delaware, Sanders gave Lewis a taste of college football alongside Kaidon Salter and Ryan Staub, both of whom had different expectations coming into the season.

During what served as a sort of tryout, all three quarterbacks had their moments on the field. Salter began with the first two drives, while Lewis’s drives resulted in a punt. Staub came on and completed two full drives that ended in touchdowns.

Salter completed 13 passes out of 13 for 102 yards, while Staub had 10 completions on 7 attempts for 156 yards and two touchdowns. The two quarterbacks took over after some drives from Lewis.

Staub is set to start this Friday against Houston in the Big 12 opener for Colorado. He was a backup for the previous two seasons to Shedeur Sanders, and he even honored the new Cleveland Browns quarterback with a signature celebration after scoring last weekend.

A moment on the sidelines caught attention when Deion Sanders put his hands on Staub’s helmet, looking him in the eye, perhaps conveying his support with the expression, “I believe in you, man.” It’s obvious that Sanders wants him to thrive in Boulder, especially after Staub’s impressive performance during the offseason.

Sanders stated, “I take off my hat and understand who we are and what we want.” He acknowledged Staub’s performance amidst cheers from the student section chanting his name.

“I was the man who cried when I saw it [Rudy],” Sanders added, expressing how much it meant to him to see Staub seize his opportunity despite the challenges.