The Colorado football team hosted its third spring game of the Deion Sanders era on Saturday, giving fans a glimpse of what to expect in 2025.
Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter — who had their jersey numbers retired Saturday — are no longer Buffs but there is still plenty of intrigue in Boulder.
All eyes were on the quarterbacks as Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and five-star freshman Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis continue to compete for the starting role. That wasn’t the only position battle on display, though.
Here are a few standouts and takeaways from Colorado’s 2025 spring game.
Takeaways from Colorado’s 2025 spring game
The quarterbacks have dominated headlines all spring and Saturday was no different. Lewis surprisingly took the first reps of the day and, unsurprisingly, wasn’t afforded much room to operate by the first-team defense. The true freshman didn’t make many splash plays — aside from a 16-yard completion to Kam Mikell — but flashed the live arm and poise that made him such a coveted recruit.
Salter led the longest drives of the day — using both his legs and arm — despite playing behind the second-team offensive line (while going against the second-team defense). Nearly all of his throws came on designed rollouts to utilize his athleticism and mobility. That should become a staple of the Buffs’ offense this fall. The gap between Lewis and Salter hasn’t seemed to be large all spring, and that remains the case after Saturday’s showcase.
Colorado’s offensive line will have a vastly different look this fall and the starting group is beginning to crystallize. Jordan Seaton (left tackle) will be the only returning starter on the offensive line after center Cash Cleveland hit the transfer portal earlier this week. Louisiana Tech transfer Zarian McGill got the start at center on Saturday in between Illinois transfer Zy Crisler (right guard) and redshirt freshman Zach Owens (left guard). Ole Miss transfer Mana Taimani is the starting right tackle at this moment but the Buffs will continue to add at the position this spring.
Coach Prime has big plans for the transfer portal and made them clear immediately after the spring game. Colorado will be active in this spring cycle and target the following positions, according to Deion Sanders: defensive tackle, linebacker, safety, cornerback (two), wide receiver, running back (two), tight end, guard, tackle and center (two).
Standouts from Colorado’s 2025 spring game
Zach Atkins should be a focal point of the Buffs’ offense this fall, and Saturday was evidence of that. The transfer tight end caught a 22-yard pass from Salter early on in the scrimmage and appeared to be a favorite target of the Liberty transfer QB. Atkins has a versatile skillset and finished the spring strong after missing a handful of practices with an illness.
Buck Buchanan will quickly become a fan favorite. The Louisiana Tech transfer kicker — who drilled a 60-yard field goal on Saturday — gives the Buffs a long-range option in the kicking game they haven’t had in recent years.
Dallan Hayden has a good chance to be Colorado’s lead back in 2025, especially after last year’s leading rusher (Isaiah Augustave) entered the transfer portal. The former Ohio State transfer was the first RB in the game on Saturday and ripped off the longest run of the scrimmage (25 yards).
Tawfiq Byard had arguably the most impressive performance of the spring game. The USF transfer safety burst into the backfield to break up a pass and made a couple of other impressive plays in the run game. Colorado cornerback RJ Johnson recently called Byard “one of the smartest players” he’s ever been around.
Joseph Williams was unable to make a a toe-tapping touchdown catch which would’ve been the highlight of the day, but the Tulsa transfer WR caught everything else thrown his way. Both Lewis and Salter have consistently targeted Williams this spring and that continued on Saturday. The 2024 AAC Freshman of the Year should be a big part of the Buffs’ passing game this fall.
Zach Owens got the start at left guard on Saturday and looked like he belonged next to Jordan Seaton. The former Clemson transfer has shed his extra weight, according to Seaton, and is “going to be a guy we really run the ball behind and maul people with.”
Ben Finneseth turned out to be the story of day after Coach Prime put the former walk-on on scholarship. The senior defensive back has been asked to take on a leadership role this spring and he’s been rewarded for his consistency with a scholarship.
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