Kaidon Salter can thrive under Deion Sanders at Colorado, but don't expect Shedeur

Former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter has a new home for next season, heading to Boulder to play for Deion Sanders at Colorado, according to Max Olson of ESPN.

Salter has been one of the best, most promising quarterbacks in the Group of Five, and figures to contend with five-star quarterback Julian Lewis for the starting job immediately.

The senior quarterback has one year left of eligibility, and is likely a bridge quarterback to start while Lewis learns the ins and outs of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur's offense.

Salter can shine in the Buffaloes' offense, but make no mistake: he's not Shedeur Sanders. Salter has a drastically different skill set than Colorado's previous star quarterback, and gives them an offensive dimension they didn't have before.

Salter was a true dual threat quarterback, who came to life in Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell's hybrid option offense. He regressed somewhat this season, but still threw for 1,886 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 587 yards and five more scores. He's a quarterback who is most comfortable making plays outside of the pocket (although he's a perfectly capable pocket passer as well) who occasionally takes unnecessary risks throwing the ball.

Compare that to Sanders, who was most comfortable as a pocket passer. He could move and make plays with his legs, but he was most comfortable standing in the pocket and using his superior accuracy to find openings in the defense. Sanders fit perfectly in Shurmur's system, but he often struggled to find time to make plays behind Colorado's shaky offensive line.

Salter's playmaking ability with his legs opens up new dimensions in the Buffaloes' offense. It takes pressure off the offensive line, and can help bolster what might have been the worst rushing attack in the Power Four last year. It will be interesting to see how Shurmur, who tends to run a pro-style attack, incorporates Salter's rushing ability into the offense.

The Buffaloes figure to look very different next season, without Sanders or two-way megastar Travis Hunter. But with Salter running the offense, different doesn't have to mean worse. If they pull it off, they could be just as much of a threat with him running the offense as they were last season.

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Kaidon Salter can thrive under Deion Sanders at Colorado, but don't expect Shedeur 2.0

By Sam Westmoreland | Dec 19, 2024