Colorado
Deion Sanders turn to Ryan Staub as Colorado quarterback foreseen by former coach
Georgia vs. Tennessee: Which team looks more complete going into Week 3?
USA TODAY’s Blake Toppmeyer and the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks break down where the Bulldogs and Vols are going into Week 3.
A former University of Colorado interim football coach has been predicting this would happen for quite some time.
It’s kind of a crazy story: Ryan Staub, who started the season as the third-string quarterback at Colorado, is now on track to become the new No. 1 QB for Colorado under coach Deion Sanders. Staub might even run away with the job if he performs well in Colorado’s next game Friday at Houston.
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He’s that good, said Mike Sanford, who served as Colorado’s interim coach before Sanders was hired in December 2022. Sanford said he’s been “predicting this for kind of a while” based on his knowledge of Staub and how he stacks up against the other two top quarterbacks at Colorado.
“My take is he’s the best quarterback of the three, period, no matter how they got there,” Sanford said in an interview this week with USA TODAY Sports. “The world of football still comes down to a meritocracy, and whoever’s the best ultimately is going to have the opportunity to get out there and play.”
Sanford recruited Ryan Staub to Colorado before Deion Sanders
Sanford, now the coach at Valor Christian High in Colorado, has an admitted bias: He’s the coach who recruited Staub out of Southern California and helped persuade him to commit to Colorado about 10 months before Sanders arrived in Boulder. Sanford also counseled Staub after Sanders brought his son Shedeur with him to quarterback the Buffaloes in 2023 and 2024.
Sanford was let go by Colorado after the team finished 1-11 in 2022. But Staub stuck with his commitment and served as Shedeur’s backup in Sanders’ first two seasons at Colorado.
For those outside the program, this made Staub easy to overlook. He rarely played except for a 23-17 loss at Utah in the final game of 2023, when Shedeur sat out with a fractured back.
Then when Shedeur left for the NFL, Colorado installed two newcomers in front of Staub for 2025: Transfer Kaidon Salter, who led Liberty to a 13-1 season in 2023, and Julian “JuJu” Lewis, a four-star freshman recruit.
Sanford still believed. He just wasn’t sure Staub would get an opportunity.
“I didn’t know he’d get that chance, that legitimate chance, because his arrival to CU didn’t follow the narrative to CU that probably a lot of people want with the current CU program, which is a five-star (recruit) or major transfer who had been a really significant player,” Sanford said.
Deion Sanders gave him that chance last week in a 31-7 win at home against Delaware.
Ryan Staub’s unlikely shot under Deion Sanders
Colorado listed Staub as the No. 3 quarterback behind Salter and Lewis before both of the team’s games this season. Salter was the only quarterback who played in the season opener against Georgia Tech, a 27-20 loss. After that, Sanders said Lewis would get his first college playing time against Delaware, which he did when he came off the bench for two drives in the second quarter, both of which ended in punts.
But then came the unexpected twist. As part of a tryout of sorts, Sanders put in Staub with 45 seconds in the first half, with the Buffs leading 10-7. Staub missed on his first two passes. But then he took over, completing a 31-yard pass and then a 21-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds left before halftime. Then on his team’s first drive after halftime, he hurled a third-down pass for a 71-yard touchdown. By the time he left the game, the Buffs were up 31-7 after he led them on three touchdown drives in four possessions.
“This is a real-life story that’s happening right before your eyes,” Deion Sanders said at a news conference Tuesday.
Sanders said his goal in the Delaware game was to give each quarterback two series initially and then “somebody was going to come out of the pack.”
Sanders wouldn’t confirm if Staub would start at Houston Friday but acknowledged Staub has been getting a majority of the practice reps this week. He also said after the game last week that he had made up his mind about his next move at quarterback. “I’m not lost for direction,” he said.
Ryan Staub’s origin story at Colorado
Staub played high school football at West Ranch High in Stevenson Ranch, California, north of Los Angeles. It’s close to Interstate 5 near Six Flags Magic Mountain and is situated in a “dang wind tunnel,” as Sanford remembers it when he visited him there as Colorado’s offensive coordinator under then-head coach Karl Dorrell.
“I went out there to watch him throw,” Sanford said. “He was sweet, man, really, really good throwing session, did not miss throws. … I was super impressed that here’s a guy who’s not super tall (6-foot-1) and doesn’t have massive hands, and he just consistently was just piercing into headwinds, piercing it and throwing super accurate passes to two or three of his high school receivers. He just didn’t miss.”
Staub wasn’t highly recruited but got some scholarship offers, including from Arizona before committing to Colorado. He led his high school team to a 19-4 record as a starter and had 5,422 yards passing along with 687 yards rushing on 66 carries. Besides his throwing ability, Sanford admired his humble but confident character and marveled at his running ability.
“I was shocked at how he was willing to put his face in the fan and get physical,” Sanford said.
Staub then waited his turn at Colorado even though it didn’t look like it would ever come.
He could have transferred for a better chance elsewhere but didn’t. Why not?
“To be honest, I don’t know,” Staub said after the Delaware game. “I kind of fell in love with the process. I really enjoyed being here. I enjoyed being in this building under our coach. … I didn’t really know where I was at. I stuck my head down and just decided to keep working. And I got rewarded for that.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
An investigation is underway after authorities found a body near a picnic area in western Colorado last weekend that appears to have been eaten by a bear.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office says the human remains were located on Sunday near the Wild Rose Picnic Area off Lands End Road on the Grand Mesa. Investigators say the remains were scavenged and scattered, and they believe the person was consumed by a bear and other wildlife.
The Mesa County Coroner’s Office is working to identify the person and officially determine their cause of death.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who was in the area of the Wild Rose Campground between June 22 and July 5, 2026, and noticed anything suspicious to contact Investigator Jenna Reed at (970) 244-3274.
They added that Colorado Parks and Wildlife believes there is no threat to the community at this time.
The area is home to black bears, and the MCSO shared several guidelines for the community to prevent human-bear conflicts:
- Stay alert and together: Go with others when possible, keep children in sight and close by, and avoid using headphones so you can hear your surroundings.
- Food safety: Double-bag food, pack out all food and trash, and don’t burn scraps and trash in fire rings/grills or leave them behind.
- Pet safety: Keep dogs on a leash at all times or leave them at home; don’t force a bear to defend itself.
- Camping safety: Set up camps away from dense cover or natural food sources and do not cook or store food near/in a tent. Secure food in bear-resistant containers or suspend at least 10 feet above the ground and 10 feet away from any part of the tree.
- Know how to respond: Don’t approach bears; quietly move away. Never run, as it may trigger a chase response. If a bear approaches, stand your ground, wave your arms, and yell until it leaves. Stay with your group, use bear spray, and fight back aggressively if necessary.
- Bear spray: Carry bear spray and know how to use it correctly. It’s not repellent; don’t spray your tent, campsite, or belongings.
Damage assessments are still ongoing for homes and businesses affected by the Aspen Acres Fire in southern Colorado, but over 200 homes have been confirmed destroyed so far. The United Way of Southern Colorado is working to raise relief funds for those affected and says it’s making progress towards its fundraising goal.
In an update on Wednesday afternoon, Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero said they’ve assessed approximately 67% of the properties affected in the county. Authorities have confirmed the loss of 192 homes and four commercial structures so far and are working to contact property owners as quickly as possible.
Lucero urged everyone affected by the fire to use the survivor portal for more information on assistance.
Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith says they’ve lost approximately 83 homes so far, almost 2% of the county’s homes. The worst hit area is along the Highway 165 corridor, Smith added. He said that authorities don’t expect any new evacuation areas, but are not yet ready to release the existing evacuation orders.
Smith said a hotline is available during business hours for affected Custer County Residents to ask questions. He urged residents to contact them at (719) 467-0271 and advised they may need to leave a voicemail if the line is busy due to the high number of calls.
A flash flood watch is in effect for areas near the burn scar, which could affect nearby homes.
The President of the United Way of Southern Colorado, Shanna Farmer, said the organization is working to raise wildfire relief funds for those affected. Over the last few days, they have reached just over $417,000 of their $10 million goal.
“It has been incredible, the number of individuals and companies who have come out to support, to provide matches, and to provide innovative ways to raise those funds,” said Farmer. “And so, I encourage anyone who is willing to work with us on a corporate, business, or individual level to please reach out because it is going to take all of us to help rebuild.”
Farmer said that the community not only needs help with their immediate needs but also long-term support. She urged anyone interested in donating to visit their website.
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office says anyone who has evacuated needs to contact the Disaster Assistance Center located at 29 Lehigh Ave. in Pueblo. The center is open between 9 a.m and 6 p.m. and provides multiple resources for those forced to evacuate.
Residents must also visit the center to obtain a re-entry pass, which will allow them to return home once evacuation orders have been lifted. A photo ID and proof of residency are required. Visitors can sign up online to reserve a place in line for faster service.
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