Colorado added its quarterback of the future earlier this month with five-star Julian Lewis signing with the Buffs, but Deion Sanders still needs a quarterback for the now. CU landed that player Wednesday when Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter made the decision to become the next in line following the success of Shedeur Sanders in Boulder.
The redshirt junior from Cedar Hill, Texas became a star for the Flames during the 2023 season as he helped guide the program to 13-1 record with the only loss coming to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
In that season, Salter shined and set several high marks at Liberty, including becoming the top rushing quarterback in a single season with 1,089 yards on the ground. He ended up as a Maxwell Award semifinalist and won the HERO Sports G5 National Player of the Year award last year as well.
It is not just that Salter is accomplished with his feet that makes him such a valuable asset for the Buffs.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound signal caller has been a prolific passer during his time with the Flames. He's passed for 4,762 yards and 47 touchdowns over the last two years in addition to rushing for 1,676 yards and 19 touchdowns in that same span.
In his career, Salter has passed for 5,887 passing yards and 56 touchdowns.
It has been a successful story to what was a rocky start for Salter. He signed with Tennessee as a Rivals250 prospect out of Cedar Hill High School in the 2021 class.
He picked the Vols over a number of other high-level offers including Baylor, Louisville, Auburn, UCLA, Ole Miss, Michigan State and Arkansas among others. Salter enrolled early but was arrested twice shortly after arriving in Knoxville forcing the program to dismiss him.
Last winter he entered the portal and was linked to Auburn before ultimately returning to Liberty. Salter did not have as successful of a season as he did in 2023 but still posted impressive numbers with 1,886 yards passing and 15 touchdowns plus 587 yards rushing and 7 more scores on the ground this year.
In Salter, the Buffs have a bridge from Shedeur Sanders to Lewis. Someone to help give time for the incoming freshman to learn the ropes of college before eventually taking over the reins for the Buffs.
CU offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur hinted that a possible addition would be on the horizon when speaking with reporters Tuesday.
"We want to be a little bit greedy about it," Shurmur said in reference to adding more talent to the room. "Obviously, JuJu's future is unbelievable, and I'm certainly looking forward to working with him. He's got a bright future, and we'll see how quickly that happens, but at some point here I think we need to add another quarterback.
"You know, we have a target. Maybe a guy with one year left, and the recruiting is going very well. I think you might see that happen."
In addition to Salter and Lewis, second-year quarterback Ryan Staub remains on the roster for the Buffs heading into the offseason after appearing in three games in each of his first two years in Boulder.
Salter is now the sixth transfer portal addition for the Buffs in the cycle and the third on offensive alongside center Carter Miller (ULM) and tight end Zach Atkins (NW Missouri State).
