On Tuesday, Deion Sanders made what many had assumed official: Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter will start on Friday for Colorado's season opener at home against Georgia Tech. Salter's experience gave him the edge over true freshman Julian Lewis, who looks exactly like the future star he was billed to be during the recruiting process.
Lewis is the future of the program, but Salter gives the Buffaloes the best chance at winning right now. He's been there, done that. Sanders decided to go with the guy who will make his 30th career start on Friday over the kid who would have made his first.
"The kid has a ton of experience," Sanders said. "Dual threat. He can throw the heck out of the ball as well. He's the guy. He's the guy at this point."
It's not just the experience that gave Salter the edge. Over the past two seasons at Liberty, there haven't been many quarterbacks in the country who have proven to be more dynamic than him. Along with throwing for 4700 yards and 47 touchdowns, Salter has added over 1600 rushing yards and 19 additional touchdowns on the ground.
"He has a serious but fun-loving nature," Sanders said. "He wants to win, shine on this stage. This is the largest stage he's ever been on. He wants that smoke."
Colorado's offense will look a lot different, which could give them the edge against Georgia Tech
With Salter at the helm, Colorado will be running effectively a brand-new offense this season. Last year, it was all about Shedeur Sanders and the downfield passing game. That's not going away - the Buffs will still want to push the ball down the field and get the ball in the hands of its talented playmakers.
But make no mistake about it: Sanders and OC Pat Surmur will want the bread-and-butter of this offense to be the ground game with Salter. They have an experienced and deep offensive line for the first time in the Coach Prime era, a QB who might be the best running QB in the country, and a talented stable of running backs.
Dekalon Taylor and Micah Welch figure to get the majority of the work in the backfield with Dallan Hayden on the mend.
A new-look offense will make it difficult for Brent Key and Georgia Tech to effectively game-plan. They're going to see things on the field that haven't been put on film, and will have to rely on in-game adjustments to try and counter what Colorado throws at them.
Colorado was the worst rushing offense in the country a year ago. That will change this season. How significant that change is will likely determine how much success they have on Friday night, and where this team ultimately ends up when the dust settles on the 2025 season.