Prime Time had a fine time in 2024. After a CU Buffs football season that produced the program’s most wins (nine) since 2016, a Heisman Trophy winner (Travis Hunter) and sellouts at Folsom Field (again), will Deion Sanders’ program be able to repeat that success in 2025? Here are three keys toward making it a reality:
1. Find hot hand at QB. Then stick with him.
Shedeur Sanders and Hunter were the most electric pass-catch duo in BoCo since Kordell Stewart was making miracles with Michael Westbrook 30 years earlier. But those stars are in the NFL now, and their replacements come with far more caveats. Kaidon Salter has the experience to hit the ground running — literally, in his case — and the highest floor of anyone in CU’s quarterback room. Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis has the highest ceiling and the most risk. Lewis, one of the most celebrated prep signal-callers to ever join the Buffs, won’t turn 18 until next month and really looked his age in the 2025 spring game. Coach Prime has said both will play. On paper, Salter feels like the safer bet, although he’s cut from a different mold than his Buffs predecessor. Shedeur was a pocket passer who could run when he had to; Salter is a fast, athletic threat with his feet but a streaky passer — one who historically lacks the consistent accuracy of Coach Prime’s QB son. The faster someone takes the reins, the better. The elder Sanders may not want to redshirt Lewis, but if Salter is steady enough to force the issue, that might be a good problem to have.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders announces Kaidon Salter as starting QB
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2. Bring some beef back to the box.
The Buffs portaled in four new offensive linemen to pair with left tackle Jordan Seaton, most of whom are bigger than what CU trotted out last fall. They also added Marshall Faulk, and his Hall of Fame perspective, to the coaching staff. The best way to break in a new quarterback is to pair him with a run game that’ll lighten his load. After struggling to consistently run the ball for two years, Coach Prime says he wants to bring smash-mouth back to Folsom Field. Will he keep his word if the Buffs struggle early on to consistently and effectively pound the rock?
3. Start fast in August/September, because late November is … tricky.
Georgia Tech is a sneaky-tough opener and a tricky matchup for a team that’s relied more on finesse and speed since Sanders’ arrival. Yet if CU can settle on a QB1 while the new faces along the defensive line and at inside linebacker find a groove early, buckle up. The talent and schedule could set the Buffs up for a 4-1 or 5-0 start. Which would then have them ranked going into TCU the first week of October, and … well, we all remember what happened the last time CU was in Fort Worth, right? A fast start certainly wouldn’t hurt, as the Buffs finish the regular season at home to league favorite Arizona State (Nov. 22) and follow that up with a trek to Kansas State (Nov. 29).
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