Colorado's offense struggled to move the ball through the air in Week 1 of the 2025 college football season, prompting Deion Sanders to make a change at quarterback in Week 2 against Delaware. He did not outright bench Kaidon Salter, but gave the Buffaloes' top three signal-callers an opportunity in the game, which allowed Ryan Staub to stand out from the group.
Salter still started the game, but only played a few series before five-star freshman Julian Lewis made his debut. Staub was the third man in the rotation and completely took over once he got his chance, ending with a team-high 157 passing yards and two touchdowns.
After the game, Sanders said he “prayed” about Colorado's quarterback situation following his team's Week 1 loss to Georgia Tech, according to ESPN's Max Olson. The conclusion he drew from that ordeal was that he wanted to give Salter, Lewis and Staub at least two possessions each against Delaware and decide where to go from there.
If Sanders truly used the game as a proving ground, Staub clearly looked like the most capable quarterback of the trio. The Colorado head football coach would not outright state that, but said he now knows “exactly” which player is his guy.
“I know exactly how I'm going to handle the quarterback situation,” Sanders said, via ESPN. “I'm not going to say it, but yeah, I'm not lost for direction.”
Ryan Staub appears to be Colorado's quarterback
On paper, Staub and Salter's stat lines are nearly identical. The two also competed all offseason, along with Lewis, in a battle that Salter came out on top of.
However, there is no doubting that Staub was easily the most efficient quarterback of the three against Delaware. The longtime backup threw his two touchdowns on each of his first two drives, prompting Sanders to give him an extended run. Staub's first drive began with just 45 seconds remaining in the first half and ended with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Dekalon Taylor just 30 seconds later.
The Delaware game presented a clear reset opportunity, one that Sanders effectively utilized to address his quarterback situation. Colorado begins conference play in Week 3, when it hits the road for the first time in 2025 to face Houston on Sept. 12. The Cougars are 2-0 in the young season with a pair of convincing wins over Stephen F. Austin and Rice.
