Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes have a few major holes to fill heading into the 2025 season.
Coach Prime lost the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, who will be starring on Sundays for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season. Just as importantly, Sanders’ son and starting quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, left for the NFL as well. He is now suiting up for the Cleveland Browns.
As he has been wont to do, Sanders turned to the transfer portal to find a replacement for his son, and may have found another gem in former Liberty signal-caller Kaidon Salter.
Salter had a down season in 2024, completing 56.3% of his passes (147 of 261) for 1,886 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions, along with 587 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. In 2023, the Cedar Hill, Texas, native completed 61.0% of his passes (177 of 290) for 2,876 yards with 32 touchdowns and six interceptions. He rushed for 1,089 yards and 12 touchdowns, making him one of the most productive players in college football.
Sanders has named Salter Colorado’s starting quarterback ahead of their season-opener. While that shouldn’t come as a surprise after Colorado made Salter a priority in the transfer portal, some believed there was a chance that five-star recruit Julian “JuJu” Lewis, who signed with Colorado, could battle for the job.
Deion Sanders, New QB Kaidon Salter’s Family Have Long-Standing Relationship
Sanders is clearly excited about his new quarterback.
“The kid wants to win,” Sanders said. “He wants this opportunity; he wants to shine on this stage. This is the largest stage he’s ever been on, and I don’t think he’s going to faint in regard to that light that shines upon him. I think he wants that smoke. He wants that heat.”
It turns out Sanders and Salter’s family have a relationship that dates back several years.
“I’ve been checking this kid out since he was in high school,” Sanders told reporters. “His brother played for me in youth ball … for my Truth teams in Texas.”
With Salter’s brother playing for Sanders, he was able to watch and keep tabs on Salter, and he has clearly been impressed with him for some time.
“I saw him play in 7-on-7 in a tournament, we were on the next field, the adjacent field,” Sanders said. “So I’ve been checking him out for a minute. I know his family, know his mother and father, because his brother played for me.”
Because of that prior relationship, Sanders has a little extra incentive to see Salter succeed — even if he admitted he hasn’t known the family quite as long as he initially claimed.
“I’ve been knowing them for a long time, so I have a personal thought process that I want to see them succeed anyway because the family and I have been connected for at least 20 years… not that long, I’m not that old, probably about 15 years.”
Sanders, Salter, and the Buffaloes will take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in one of the most anticipated games of college football’s opening weekend on Friday night.