Colorado's Deion Sanders makes season-altering decision before Week 1 game

Colorado had a quarterback battle between the experienced Salter and freshman Julian (JuJu) Lewis to take the place that Shedeur Sanders occupied during the last two seasons.

Lewis is a promising quarterback, given a four-star rating by 247 Sports and ranked as the 10th-best quarterback in the class of 2025.

Per Manny Navarro of The Athletic, Sanders chose to start Salter because of his experience.

"The kid has a ton of experience. Dual threat. Throws the heck out of the ball as well," Sanders said.

"He’s the guy. At this point, we’re praying and we’re hoping that you see some Juju periodically through the game as well. We would like to get him some reps as well, but the game predicates that. (Salter) has done it before. This is not his first time running down the tunnel and getting the start… His experience is vital."

Sanders does plan to give Lewis some playing time.

Salter, a senior from Cedar Hill, Texas, played four years at Liberty before transferring to Colorado. He recorded 5,887 yards passing, 56 touchdowns and 17 interceptions during his time with the Flames. He added 2,013 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground.

Sanders indicated that he wanted Salter to play because the team isn't "young" and is ready to play now. He decided to put the best quarterback out on the field against the Yellow Jackets rather than develop Lewis' ceiling by throwing him out on the field in Week 1.

The choice will put Colorado in the best position to win more games in 2025. But the program will be better off long term when Lewis is developed enough to lead the offense.