The Colorado Buffaloes entered the 2025 season with a critical test under head coach Deion Sanders. The program must identify a permanent quarterback to replace Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son and former star, who moved on to the NFL. Shedeur had fueled the Buffaloes’ surge, guiding them to a 9-4 finish in 2024 after the program’s stunning rebound from 1-11 in 2022.
With his departure, Sanders confronts a pivotal decision that could determine this year’s trajectory and Colorado’s ability to sustain its momentum.
Deion Sanders Faces Pressure to Find Colorado’s Next Leader at QB
The Colorado Buffaloes opened the 2025 season with a 2-3 record, hoping to improve on the 9-4 finish that defined their turnaround in 2024. Coach Prime now faces the challenge of finding a permanent quarterback after his son, Shedeur, left for the NFL.
The team has struggled to recapture the spark created by Shedeur’s leadership and Travis Hunter’s two-way brilliance, both of whom elevated Colorado from a 1-11 program in 2022 to national attention.
On “SPEAKEASY,” Emmanuel Acho summarized the current dilemma bluntly:
“The Buffs are a five-win team this year, and I believe they were a five-win team last year, led by a mega star quarterback and a mega star wide receiver. That’s really what it is.” He emphasized that Shedeur Sanders was “an elite college quarterback,” while Hunter was “a generational talent.” Their exits left a roster unable to mask its shortcomings.
Acho added that Sanders’ approach resembled how he once played in the NFL. “Prime is trying to coach in college like, ‘Okay, let me hire a couple guns. Let me bring a couple transfers, try to win real quick.’ But in college, it doesn’t necessarily work like that.”
Unlike professional football, he noted that a program that relies heavily on transfer talent often finds itself vulnerable when those players depart. Quarterback instability has only worsened the issue.
“The quarterback position has been a complete cluster. I think they’ve played four different quarterbacks throughout the course of the season,” Acho said.
LeSean McCoy echoed the concern, pointing to the difficulty of replacing Shedeur.
“You lose a great quarterback, lose one of the best players in football with Travis Hunter, like they don’t have that many pieces and they missing them. You could tell, like losing a dude like Shedeur, you going to be missing that.”
Colorado added JuJu Lewis, a five-star recruit, and Kaden Salter, who transferred from Liberty after leading them to a top-10 finish. Yet questions remain over whether either can provide stability. The turbulence of the offseason, when Coach Sanders was sidelined for three months, further complicated preparations.
Despite admiration for Sanders’ intent, both Acho and McCoy pointed to the steep learning curve ahead. As Acho put it, “You can’t win overnight.” For Colorado, the search for the next leader under center will determine whether the Buffaloes can sustain the progress they once seemed destined to build upon
