There is no doubt that Julian Lewis is the quarterback of the future for the Colorado Buffaloes.
However, the team will need someone to back up the promising freshman, which won't be an easy task.
Ryan Staub announced Monday afternoon that he will be entering the NCAA transfer portal with two years remaining of eligibility.
Colorado quarterback Ryan Staub intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal, he tells ESPN. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Staub started two games in his three seasons at Colorado, and threw for 681 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in his career. pic.twitter.com/rJDSIdMMiR
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 30, 2025
After sitting behind Shedeur Sanders for the first two seasons of his career, the former three-star prospect played sparingly in 2025.
As a result of his performance against Delaware, during which Deion Sanders played three quarterbacks, Prime named him the starter against Houston the following week.
He was asked about his decision to stay at Colorado earlier this year.
"To be honest, I don’t know,” Staub said after the Delaware game. “I kind of fell in love with the process. I really enjoyed being here. I enjoyed being in this building under our coach. … I didn’t really know where I was at. I stuck my head down and just decided to keep working. And I got rewarded for that"Brent Schrotenboer USA TODAY
In the loss, Staub completed 19-of-35 passes for 204 yards, recording one touchdown and throwing two interceptions.
Deion Sanders will need to add depth at QB in the Transfer Portal
With the redshirt sophomore now out of the equation, this leaves Colorado with just two quarterbacks on the roster.
Julian Lewis and Dominiq Ponder.
These are exactly the challenges Colorado will face.
JuJu being a lock at the starting position will make it difficult for guys to want to come in and compete, knowing they will be the backup.
In addition, the NCAA transfer portal plays a significant role in this, as it allows players to leave after a year if they are not seeing any playing time. Seeing very minimal reps can also hinder development and confidence to stay with a certain program.
Currently, quarterback is one of Colorado's least pressing concerns. However, head coach Deion Sanders and new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion need to find someone who will be more than willing to back up Lewis and step in when ready.