For most of his college coaching career, Deion Sanders has boasted a known commodity at quarterback: his son, Shedeur Sanders. Now, after four years with Shedeur running his offenses, “Coach Prime” needs a new signal-caller. Unsurprisingly, he lured a legitimate replacement candidate to Colorado from the transfer portal in former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter.
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According to WFAA-TV, Salter’s younger brother used to play in a 10-U program sponsored by Deion Sanders. This connection came to mind for Salter’s mother, Misty, during a news segment. However, the bigger parallel between her family and the Sanders’ tree, in her estimation, is Kaidon’s similar disposition.
“It was more… personalities. I feel like Kaidon and Deion, they have the same type of energy. Their personalities are [the same] to me, when it comes to the confidence [and] the excitement they have when they’re on the field… the 1990’s Deion for the Cowboys. That’s Kaidon. Same thing with Shedeur [Sanders]. That confident smile [is] Kaidon. So I feel like [he’ll] fit in perfectly. “
Salter threw for 2,876 yards, 32 touchdowns, and six interceptions for the Flames in 2023. In the process, he led them to a Conference USA and a Fiesta Bowl appearance.
Sanders is hoping he can do the same, or more, for the Buffs in 2025. However, that’s only if he can claim the starting job once he gets to Boulder.
Kaidon Salter will compete with Julian Lewis for starting QB gig
Salter enters his first year in Colorado with the edge in the quarterback competition because he has established himself at the NCAA level. But that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be the one trotting onto the Folsom Field for the Buffaloes’ first drive versus Georgia Tech come August. He’ll be facing stiff competition for the job in true freshman Julian Lewis.
Lewis, a four-star recruit, is the No. 9 QB in the 2025 class, per 247Sports. Sanders notoriously doesn’t take many true freshmen into his program, relying on transfers instead.
His willingness to bring Lewis out to campus from Carrollton, Georgia shows how much he values Lewis’ ability. If he didn’t believe Lewis could be his starter, he wouldn’t have let him commit.
Colorado transfer QB Kaidon Salter isn’t shying away from being a mentor to Julian Lewis. pic.twitter.com/jlST4dWafP
— Rivals (@Rivals) January 5, 2025
Lewis reclassified from the 2026 recruiting class, so he’ll be just 18 years old during the 2025 campaign. This makes it a bit more likely he’ll open the year in a reserve role. That said, Salter will have to prove his meddle to keep the role throughout the season.
The Salter-Lewis competition is extremely beneficial to all parties. It will make both players better in the long run and improve Colorado’s chances of building upon the successful 2024 campaign.
