Coach Prime's son Deion Sanders Jr. drops his verdict on Kaidon Salter vs Julian Lewis Colorado QB battle for 2025

With quarterback Shedeur Sanders now in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns, the Colorado Buffaloes are deciding between two contenders, veteran Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and freshman Julian “JuJu” Lewis.

"Coach Prime" has yet to name a starting quarterback for the Buffaloes’ season opener on Aug. 29 at home against Georgia Tech. It’s also unclear whether one of the two will win the job outright or if both will share time under center.

On Tuesday’s episode of the “Politely Raw” podcast, Deion Sanders' eldest son, Deion Sanders Jr., was asked which Colorado players fans should be keeping an eye on. He named offensive lineman Jordan Seaton and wide receiver Omarion Miller, while also talking about the quarterback situation.

“You know, we got Kaidon Salter and JuJu, of course,” Sanders said (Timestamp: 01:02:01). “I don't know who's gonna win that battle. They're both pretty good.”

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Colorado coach Deion Sanders on Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis

Julian Lewis, a four-star recruit from Carrollton High School in Georgia, reclassified from the 2026 class to 2025 so he could join Colorado early. He had a 39-4 record as a high school starter.

Meanwhile, Kaidon Salter brings four seasons of college football experience to the table. At Liberty, he passed for 5,887 yards and 56 touchdowns, and rushed for 2,013 yards and 21 scores. In 2024 alone, he threw for 1,886 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions, while running for 587 yards and seven TDs.

"Coach Prime" talked about the competition between the two at the Big 12 media days in July.

"We brought both of them because I don't know which one's gonna start," he said. "We definitely want to continue to develop JuJu, but Kaidon is unbelievable. Kaidon is off the chain. He's been there, done that. He can get the job done. I wouldn't have brought him here if I didn't trust him.

“But JuJu is coming around the mountain when he comes. And I love him. I love what he brings to the table. I don't know how it's going to play out. As long as it plays out, we can't lose either way with either of those two."

Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur also shared an update on Friday, saying both QBs are doing well during the quarterback development process.

“They're both very, very smart guys,” Shurmur said. “JuJu obviously is much younger. So this process is a little bit foreign to him, but Kaidon has got a lot of experience and is used to it. But I think they're both doing extremely well.”

The subtext says that Salter seems like the win-now option, while Lewis represents Colorado’s future, but there’s a real possibility both QBs will see the field in tandem in 2025.