Julian Lewis, Kaidon Salter shine in spring game as Colorado quarterback battle heats up
- Liam Howard
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Going into the Colorado Buffaloes’ 2025 Black and Gold Day, the starting quarterback competition between senior Kaidon Salter and freshman Julian Lewis was in full swing.
The game played a large role in both of their standings in the competition and displayed the style of offense coordinator Pat Shurmur plans on running with each of them under center.
Lewis took the field with the No. 1 offensive rotation to begin the day, completing high percentage looks early in his first drive and barely overshot wide receiver Kam Mikell on a deep ball.
In his second drive, Lewis continued to complete high-percentage checkdowns and hitch routes to his running backs and tight ends before showing good pocket presence by eluding pressure and completing a strike down the field to tight end Brady Kopetz.
Salter was at the helm of the No. 2 offensive rotation, and while he was also given time to ease into the offense early, he attempted an early deep ball to wideout Joseph Williams, which was broken up on a pass interference. Williams quickly emerged as Salter’s favorite target, as he attempted three more passes his way in the subsequent drive.
“Joseph, he’s a very talented player,” Salter said postgame. “He goes out and executes what he can … He’s a very explosive player, he loves the game, he goes out and makes big plays.”
Following their first two drives, both quarterbacks led seven-on-seven drills and used this opportunity to drive the ball further downfield. They both performed well in this drill, with Williams once again emerging as a top target.
“Joseph most definitely has been one of the top targets for me and JuJu when either one of us was out there,” Salter continued. “He’s going to be a special receiver for us this year.”
They wrapped up the day by captaining one more drive each, and it was in these drills that Lewis began to separate himself. He led a touchdown drive with Mikell continuing to be his featured option. His comfort level seemed far more established, and it led to efficiency on the drive. As for Salter, his drive ended in an interception, leaving his offense scoreless through the spring game.
However, it is worth noting that Salter was limited to one scramble with zero designed runs, likely due to the nature of the scrimmage and the goal of injury limitation. This eliminated a major element of his game, so transgression is needed when judging the two exclusively on their passing performances.
This competition is slated to be among the closest in the country as the season approaches, and with both QBs having the opportunity to perform in a game situation, only time will tell who will take the helm in 2025.