Let the best player win, but this quarterback situation at Colorado could get delicate

Before spring football practice sprung again Tuesday at Colorado, a certain controversy already had started to bloom under head coach Deion Sanders.

It’s all about the quarterbacks: Who will replace Sanders’ son Shedeur at the most important position on the field?

Will it be the veteran transfer from Liberty, Kaidon Salter?

Or the hotshot rookie recruit from Georgia, Julian “JuJu” Lewis?

Could it even be both?

“We have to determine who the best guy is,” Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said Tuesday at a news conference in Boulder. “And God willing we have a number of guys that could be the best guy, and they just go out there and compete.”

The answer might not come until the fall, but it likely will remain the biggest storyline to follow as the Buffaloes begin their third spring season this week under “Coach Prime.”

Both new quarterbacks, along with returning backup Ryan Staub, are vying to replace Shedeur Sanders, who is likely to be a top NFL draft pick next month after becoming arguably the top quarterback in school history. Salter, Lewis and Staub addressed the news media for the first time Tuesday after the first spring practice of the season.

What did the new Colorado quarterbacks say?

A big reason this quarterback situation is so intriguing is that both players came to Colorado to play right away, not wait for next year.

Lewis is only a freshman but told the Pat McAfee show in November that he chose Colorado in part because he wanted a chance to start as a freshman and that he “wouldn’t have much fun sitting on the bench.”

But then in December, the Buffaloes also brought in Salter, who is down to his final year of college eligibility in 2025 after starting for Liberty the past two seasons.

Salter explained Tuesday he chose Colorado in part because he saw a wide-open opportunity after the departure of Shedeur.

“They really had nobody after him,” Salter said. “They brung in JuJu, and coach wanted to see me come in and compete with JuJu. And it’s all working out right now, just coming in helping JuJu out, and also helping each other out.”

Lewis was not directly asked about Salter Tuesday but acknowledged it’s the biggest topic of the spring outside the program at least.

“I mean, of course, everybody thinks it’s a quarterback battle and stuff like that,” Lewis said. “But I mean, we’ve got such great quarterbacks in the room and just great personalities. I just love being around the guys every day and just happy to be here.”

Kaidon Salter vs. JuJu Lewis

Another factor adding to the drama is how different they are in terms of experience and style. Salter, 21, is a dual runner and passer who had 5,887 passing yards and 56 passing touchdowns in four years at Liberty, along with 2,063 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns.

“Everybody know I have no problem with running,” Salter said. “It’s something that a lot of teams won’t be able to stop whenever they do throw me out there to do those types of things.”

Lewis, 17, is more of a pocket passer. He threw for 3,798 yards and 48 touchdowns last year in high school at Carrollton, Ga., but had only 86 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Both know how to win. Lewis was 39-4 as a starter in high school. Salter was 23-6 at Liberty, including a 13-1 season in 2023.

“I’ve got more to prove to myself than anybody else,” Lewis said. “I’ve been getting called overrated since I was 7. So it’s kind of like, it kind of is what it is on that part of football. But I just want to go in and ball out.”

Delicate situation for Deion Sanders

For all the talk of letting the best player win the job in competition, the reality is both could be offered more money to play somewhere else if things don’t go their way this spring. Lewis originally committed to Southern California before switching to Colorado. He’ll have options if Salter wins based on experience.

“It’s not that deep,” Shurmur said of how the decision will be made. “You bring in new players and they come in and compete their butts off. And our responsibility as coaches is to make sure we play the best player.”

That decision was easy the past two seasons with Shedeur Sanders as QB1. Now it’s up for grabs through the spring game at Folsom Field April 19 and beyond.

“We gotta replace him,” Shurmur said. “I think the important thing for all teams, you sort of rebuild the roster and you have to start over.”

`We have a better team’

Deion Sanders did not speak to the news media Tuesday but shared his thoughts about his new team in a team meeting Monday, as documented on the YouTube channel of his eldest son, Deion Jr.

“We have a better team than we had last year, and we’re gonna prove it this spring,” Deion Sanders said to his team Monday.

That’s quite a statement considering Colorado lost Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to the NFL, along with Shedeur and his brother Shilo Sanders, a starting safety.

Colorado finished with a 9-4 record last year under Deion Sanders. The Buffs open the 2025 season at home against Georgia Tech on Aug. 29.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com