After spending three seasons at CU as a backup QB, Ryan Staub transferred to Tennessee this January. Following the Buffs’ rocky 2025 season, Staub decided to move in search of a “real opportunity” to compete for a starting job, but he still holds deep respect for Colorado head coach Deion Sanders and didn’t hesitate to admit it.

“It was awesome,” said Staub during his Monday appearance on Rocky Top Insider when asked about his relationship with Coach Prime. “Coach Prime’s like, just I mean, I’ll always remember all the memories I had with him and with his program. Just an unbelievable person. He impacted a lot of people on that Colorado team. Made good connections with a lot of those players, and especially with me. So yeah, Coach Prime’s awesome.”

Such respect, even after leaving Colorado, only signals how deeply Deion Sanders influenced the Vols’ QB. Still, Staub had to choose the best for his career after burning his eligibility from 2023 to 2025 despite having talent. More importantly, if he stayed for the 2026 season, he was expected to be slotted behind Julian Lewis. That’s where Tennessee’s vacancy tempted the ex-Colorado QB.

After the 2025 starting QB, Joey Aguilar, was denied a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA and a local judge, a major opening appeared at Tennessee. This left the Vols with only two scholarship QBs, both freshmen with no collegiate playing experience. In that case, Staub’s experience could help the program build strong QB depth or even allow him to compete for the starting role in the 2026 season.

Joining in 2023, he redshirted his debut season at Colorado, making his first career start in the season finale against Utah, throwing for 195 yards and one TD. Then in 2024, he served as the primary backup to Shedeur Sanders, and he appeared in four games and saw action on 20 snaps. Even last season, he began as the third-string QB behind Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis. But he earned a start against Houston in Week 3.

Now he may find a starting role with the Vols, but their offense is new for the QB, and he has to adapt to it. At Colorado, he played under two coordinators: Sean Lewis in his first year and Pat Shurmur for the rest of the years. However, at Tennessee, learning the offense may not be that easy for the QB, who has two years of eligibility remaining, but it will be fruitful.

“It’s definitely different from last year’s at Colorado,” said Staub, referring to the unique challenge of learning the Vols’ offense. “You know it’s tempo. It’s a lot of things moving at once. There’s just a lot of things for the quarterback that the quarterback controls. I think some of the good things at Colorado is that it was maybe a little more simplified for the quarterback, which allowed the quarterback to kind of play just smoothly and not think and just go through reads.”

“And here it’s, they’re throwing everything at you, but it’s for a reason,” added the former Colorado QB. “The offense, it’s complex. And you can see why it has so much success because of how much goes into it.”

The difference between them is clearly shown through last season’s ranking. While the Vols ranked 6th in FBS with 39.8 PPG, the Buffs ranked 116th in FBS with 20.9 PPG. More importantly, Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar threw for 3,565 yards. Meanwhile, Colorado’s leading passer, Kaidon Salter, recorded 1,414 yards in 9 games as the Buffs cycled through three different starters, including Staub.

But this backup QB has potential, and that could favor the Vols in the upcoming season.

Landing the ex-Colorado QB could prove the smartest move for Tennessee

The addition of Ryan Staub didn’t exactly scream “game-changer” at first glance. The Vols had promising young arms in George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon, even with the uncertainty surrounding Aguilar’s eligibility. Considering that, Staub felt like nothing more than a depth-chart safety net rather than a solution. But here’s where history offers a reminder.

Enter Rick Clausen. Once viewed as just another backup, he became a season-saver when injuries struck. He guided Tennessee to a crucial win with a 349-yard performance that flipped the SEC East race. The most intriguing part is that the same script could quietly be forming again. Staub has already shown flashes of that “next man up” potential.

Despite his limited action, he had a standout performance against Delaware, recording 157 yards and 2 TDs last season. Following that, Deion Sanders vouched for him, calling Staub “unflappable.”

“He has been in this system for three years now and he is just unflappable. Some guys just have that thing about them that you want to help them become successful. And he is that kid,” said Sanders. “I saw (against Delaware) what I have been seeing at practice for the last few years. Like this is who he is. This is who he has always been. He just needed opportunity. That is all he needed.”

Now getting an opportunity with the Vols, it will be interesting to see how the former Colorado QB’s 2026 season unfolds.