Shedeur Sanders’ Colorado WR1 isn’t the transfer we thought it’d be

Shedeur Sanders’ Colorado football WR1 is, of course, a fellow transfer, but it’s not the one we all expected it to be. No, it’s not two-way superstar Travis Hunter, but instead USF transfer Xavier Weaver.

One of the two USF transfers along with Jimmy Horn Jr., Weaver leads the Buffs in receiving yardage after a monster Week 2 performance against Nebraska: 10 catches for 168 yards and a touchdown. Weaver has 286 receiving yards through the first two weeks of the season, having been part of a quad of weapons including Hunter, Horn, and running back Dylan Edwards.

As Gus Johnson pointed out during the broadcast, it’s Weaver who is the top target of Sanders — who is now averaging over 450 passing yards per game after nearly going for 400 yards in his home debut in Boulder.

Colorado football has a loaded receiving corps

No team in the country can boast the kind of success against Power Five teams that Colorado football now can after barely beating TCU as a three-touchdown underdog and blowing the doors off of Nebraska as a slight favorite. The biggest reason for that is Sanders, but deserving equal credit in the aggregate is the Buffs receiving corps.

Weaver is the top weapon due to his YAC abilities, but Hunter is still perhaps the most dangerous big-play threat in the room. Both can be the top option on any given day, while Horn is the ideal third wheel. Even Tar’Varish Dawson can do damage to opposing defenses out of the slot.

While Edwards didn’t dazzle against the Cornhuskers like he did the Horned Frogs, the running back had the best output rushing-wise of the season for CU’s roster. In truth, CU’s fate won’t be decided by the rushing attack, though Sanders being able to set up the pass better would be nice. As would increased pass protection, and protection in general.