Colorado Quarterback Battle: What Georgia Tech Can Expect From Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis

Salter is a true dual-threat QB that can burn you with his legs. His athleticism is often slept on, but last year he rushed for 1,089 yards and 12 touchdowns. Expect Colorado to run a lot of the RPO (Run-Pass-Option) game when Salter is in the game. He has a knack for taking advantage of the defensive end and making him choose between him and the running back, which he exploits with ease. Salter threw for 1,886 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. An area he struggled with was his accuracy, only completing 56.3% of his passes. He struggles a bit in the intermediate aspect of his game, but he is an impressive deep-ball thrower. Georgia Tech was known last season for giving up big plays down the field, and the offense struck lightning with lax coverage. An area to watch with Salter is if Colorado runs the ball heavily and uses play action to go deep down the field and catch the Yellow Jackets napping. Before Salter arrived, Colorado ran a lot of shotgun sets with their former star quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, but perhaps it will look a bit different with Salter at the helm and being a more elite runner at the quarterback position. In addition to the deep throws Salter can make, what out for the quick passing game as well. It could be something Col orado rolls out to get him comfortable in the offense to establish a rhythm.

Julian Lewis

With Lewis, you are getting an extremely accurate quarterback who can fit the ball anywhere he wants. Lewis filled the stat sheet during his high school career and improved every season under the helm. He improved his completion percentage every year and during his senior year, completing 75.6% of his passes. Lewis also threw for 48 touchdowns every season as a starter in his three seasons with the Carrollton Trojans. While he will be a freshman, Lewis is no stranger to being in the limelight or on the big stage. His first-ever high school game was televised on statewide television, and he cooked the East Coweta defense, winning the highly anticipated contest. He also played in two state championships during his three years, and one as a true freshman against Mill Creek, going against elite college football player Caleb Downs. What truly makes Julian special is his ability to improvise. He’s not going to wow you with Lamar Jackson-like moves in the open field, but his knack to make defenders miss in the pocket, buy time, and ability to throw rainbows down the field off the run make him elite. He did it during his high school career, and it should translate to college. Lewis can truly beat you from the pocket and never gets rattled under pressure. He can run the RPO game, but can also stand and throw the ball over 50 times in the game.

Salter is the more athletic quarterback of the two and has a vast amount of experience, having played at Liberty and being a starter the past three seasons. Lewis is the more accurate of the two players, with a higher ceiling, and could become a household name in college football. It won’t be easy to prepare for either quarterback, especially not knowing if both will play in the game, but at least Georgia Tech can know what to expect from either after watching film.