Colorado's offense got a jolt of life during Saturday's 31-7 win over Delaware from an unexpected source: third-string QB Ryan Staub, who had been completely written off in a QB competition that always seemed to be between Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and freshman Julian Lewis.
Staub unexpectedly got into the game on Saturday with the Buffs leading just 10-7 and made an immediate impact, producing some explosive plays down the field in the passing game that had been completely missing through the first 5+ quarters of football for Colorado in 2025.
Salter is a superb athlete, bringing a new dynamic to the Colorado offense. But so far, he's been an awkward fit in Pat Shurmur's offense, and they clearly haven't trusted him to push the ball down the field, instead relying on a horizontal passing game that has gotten little traction.
Staub provided some vertical shots, including a 71-yard touchdown to Campbell transfer Sincere Brown to open the second half and give the Buffs some much-needed separation against the Blue Hens.
RYAN STAUB DEEP TO SINCERE BROWN 🎯
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 6, 2025
The @CUBuffsFootball's third-string QB is on a roll pic.twitter.com/mUmeNvMjbs
Right before Staub took the field to open the second half, where he quickly connected with Brown for the explosive play, Coach Prime pumped the QB full of confidence, making sure he knew that he was behind him - and so was the whole team and all the fans in the stands:
"We believe in you man. Look at that. they believe in you." -Deion Sanders to Ryan Staub seconds before he hit Sincere Brown for a 71-yard TD pic.twitter.com/TwAfQWLmhw
— LockedOnBuffs (@LockedOnBuffs) September 7, 2025
Ryan Staub has earned the opportunity to be Colorado's starting QB
Nobody saw it coming, barring injuries to both Salter and Lewis, but Coach Prime seems likely to start Staub on Friday on the road against Houston. It would be difficult to make any other decision considering how much more explosive the offense looked with Staub in the game.
That's certainly not an easy decision to make. Salter was one of the most prolific QBs in the country during his time at Liberty and is in his final season of collegiate eligibility. He came to Colorado to play. He hasn't played poorly during the first two games, but he also hasn't done enough to secure the job, either.
If Colorado's offense stayed stuck in the mud like it has with him piloting the show, it would be a long season in Boulder. They have to get more out of the QB position, and at least for now, Staub looks to be the guy who can give it to them.
The redshirt sophomore has two years in the system under his belt, serving as the primary backup to Shedeur Sanders a year ago.
He started the season third on the depth chart, but Staub now appears to be the best option for Colorado moving forward. It's hard not to root for him, too, as a kid who stayed when many would have transferred once Coach Prime landed Salter in the portal.
But Staub had a dream that he would be the Colorado starting QB one day. A dream that may become reality on Friday night.