The Colorado Buffaloes exceeded all expectations last year. They finished 9-4, an extraordinary feat, considering that in 2022, they had a 1-11 season. But Deion Sanders wasn’t just expecting 9 wins; he wanted to finish without a single tick in the loss column. “I wanted to be undefeated. That was the goal. That was the vision. We lost three games (in the regular season),” said Deion Sanders. So, naturally, the expectations are similar for the 2025 season. However, can his offense even replicate those 9 wins in the absence of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter and with Kaidon Salter behind the center?

Pat Shurmur was the first-year offensive coordinator last year and tailored his offense brilliantly to accommodate Shedeur and Hunter’s strengths. In turn, both players exceeded expectations, with Shedeur exceeding 4,000 yards with a stellar 74% efficiency, and Hunter won the Heisman playing both sides of the ball. However, while the offense had great returns, it was extremely pass-heavy to leverage Shedeur’s arm talent. But this year, without Shedeur and much of the receiving corps that included Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr., and LaJohntay Wester, can Shurmur replicate his 2024 season?

The host of the ‘Cover 3’ podcast, Bud Elliot, asked a similar question to Buff Stamped’s Adam Munsterteiger on June 15th. “Looking through Shurmer’s career, it seems like he’s mostly been a pro-style only. Have they talked at all about bringing somebody else in? Who has more experience with the college QB run game stuff?” Adam accepted that the program has brought in former Tampa Bay OC Byron Leftwich to help with the run game. However, he still showed reservations about the 2025 season with Shurmur as the OC.

“I would say after the last couple of years, Bud, you’d have to put Pat Shurmur as a question mark in terms of his play calling. And just it’s kind of let’s see what he does without Shedeur Sanders and being able to rely on his arm strength. And let’s see if this truly can be again a balanced offense… I think this is going to be a big season for Pat Shurmur. Let’s really see what your capability is as a play caller at this level,” said Adam Munsterteiger. But what about Kaidon Salter? Doesn’t he provide the dual-threat ability?

Salter came in from the Liberty Flames, having produced 2,876 passing and a whopping 579 rushing yards last season. Moreover, his season before that was more pronounced in terms of his rushing attack, as he garnered 1,089 yards in the ground game. So yes, the offense will surely have a lethal ground QB in Kaidon Salter.

Moreover, the Buffs are expected to be incorporating a tight end in their scheme in Zach Atkins, the Northwest Missouri State transfer. This would mean the Buffs would play an 11-personnel offense with 3 receivers and a tight end. Moreover, the rushing ability of Salter will provide added pre-snap motion and the RPO runs, making it a more balanced offense. However, having the weapons is one thing. Can Pat Shurmur make the leap to a more balanced offense? That’s the big question mark on the Buffs’ ability to improve its record this year.

Kaidon Salter’s QB1 spot in jeopardy?

Deion Sanders right now has three talented QBs in his quarterback room—Kaidon Salter, the freshman Julian Lewis, and the red-shirt sophomore Ryan Staub. While Ryan Staub isn’t being touted to be the QB1, both Salter and Lewis are fighting for the spot. But the question is, who will win the QB battle at last?

Adam Munsterteiger weighed his opinion on the whole QB battle between Salter and Lewis and picked Salter due to Lewis’s inexperience. “It’s hard to envision a scenario in which he beats out Kaidon Salter. Now I think he’s going to be the number two guy, and I think he’s going to push Kaidon Salter.” As for Adam’s reasoning behind his take, he said that Lewis still seemed like “he should be a junior in high school right now” in the recent Colorado spring game.

Julian Lewis was initially a 5-star commit and the No. 2 quarterback in the country, but he reclassified and enrolled early. That downgraded him to a 4-star. Still, he threw for 7,212 yards and 103 touchdowns in high school, showing his elite arm talent, and has the potential to be a future star. That said, he still lacks college experience and physical maturity, which he can acquire with time. But for now? Saltor is the QB1, and he looks ready for the challenge. “Everybody knows, I have no problem with running, and it’s something that a lot of teams won’t be able to stop whenever they do throw me out there.”

With Coach Prime soon back in Boulder after recovering from his illness, the Buffs will look to patch it all up in upcoming practices before the season starts.