How big of a loss is it?
Greg McElroy Takes a Clear Stance on Colorado’s Post-Shedeur Sanders QB Picture originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Shedeur Sanders has been one of the most polarizing figures in college football over the past two seasons. The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, he had an impressive career as the starting quarterback under his father's coaching at both Jackson State and Colorado.
During his time at Colorado, Sanders threw for 7,364 yards, completed 64 touchdowns, and had 13 interceptions, achieving an FBS record with a career completion rate of 71.8%. He also led Colorado to a 9-4 season last year, marking the Buffaloes' best performance since 2016. This represented an eight-win improvement from the 2022 season, the year prior to his arrival.
Sanders is now heading to the NFL after being selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite his departure, ESPN's Greg McElroy mentioned on his podcast, "Always College Football," that he believes Colorado will be just fine at the quarterback position.
"Shedeur Sanders is gone," McElroy said. "Obviously, great personnel at wide receiver is gone. But I still look at some of the guys that are able to go get Kaidon Salter, a transfer from Liberty; whether they have him or Julian Lewis, the talented freshman, whoever it ends up being, they're going to probably be okay at quarterback."
As McElroy mentioned, either Salter or five-star true freshman Julian Lewis will replace Sanders as the quarterback. Salter had an impressive two-season run at Liberty, where he threw for 4,762 yards, 47 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He led Liberty to a 13-1 season in 2023, culminating in a Fiesta Bowl appearance.
Lewis, who once committed to the USC Trojans and quarterback guru Lincoln Riley, later decommitted and chose to join the Buffaloes. As a five-star recruit and a top 12 player in the country according to ESPN and Rivals, the Georgia native has the potential to make a significant impact. If he starts, he would become the first true freshman to start at quarterback since Owen McCown in 2022; McCown is now the starting quarterback for the UTSA Roadrunners.
The Buffaloes will open the season with one of these quarterbacks on August 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Related: Joel Klatt Gives Honest Opinion of the Shedeur Sanders-Travis Hunter Era at Colorado
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
