Deion Sanders shares what he wants to see from Kaidon Salter amid adversity
Colorado has had a quarterback carousel through the first three games of the season, and coach Deion Sanders is still looking for two things out of his signal callers. Kaidon Salter hasn’t quite provided it yet, nor has Ryan Staub.
So what exactly is the magic formula for the quarterback position? Sanders explained.
“Leadership and consistency. That’s it,” he said. “That ain’t much to ask for is it? Leadership and consistency. I look for that for everyone. Every man, every woman that’s involved in my life. Leadership and consistency.”
So far, the production has been pretty mixed between Kaidon Salter and Ryan Staub. Salter started the first two games of the season before Staub took a start against Houston.
Neither has really distanced himself to this point. And though Sanders has a plan for who he’ll start in the next game, he’s not revealing it.
To date, Kaidon Salter has gone 30-of-44 passing for 261 yards and one touchdown. He has yet to throw an interception.
Staub, meanwhile, has gone 26-of-45 passing for 362 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He has created an explosive play, a 71-yard strike that greatly bolsters his stats.
The former Liberty transfer, Kaidon Salter, clearly has some serious ability. Will the Buffaloes turn back to him in the final non-conference game before conference play resumes?
We’ll see. As noted, Sanders is looking for those two simple things.
Paul Finebaum sees bleak outlook for Colorado
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum cast a good amount of doubt on Deion Sanders, Kaidon Salter and Colorado for the remainder of the 2025 season. At 1-2 through three games, Finebaum called it bleak.
Colorado fell to Houston 36-20 on Friday night after naming QB Ryan Staub the starter. However, the change didn’t bring enough spark to the offense on the road and the defense fell woefully short of containing the Cougar attack. The schedule doesn’t get any easier in a wild Big 12.
Perhaps there’s another quarterback on the horizon considering the carousel over the first few weeks. But Sanders might have better luck in 2026, per Finebaum.
“It’s certainly in the short term, pretty bleak,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “It was sad to watch that the other night. I mean, I think you know what Deion has overcome. I think everybody in the country pulls pulls for him, but they’re not going to be a factor the rest of the season.
“And I just don’t know how Deion, battling everything else he is battling, will be able to battle that because he’s so used to the spotlight. And there’s never been anybody better with the bright lights on, but when you lose a couple of games like this, and you’re treading water, you’re not going to garner a lot of attention the rest of the way.”
On3’s Nick Kosko also contributed to this report.
