Colorado’s quarterback room looks a lot different heading into 2026, and for Deion Sanders, that change starts with a familiar kind of hope: a young passer with big-time recruiting buzz and a chance to finally settle the position.
After Colorado’s 2024 surge to nine wins and its first bowl appearance since 2020, the offense had elite quarterback play to thank just as much as two-way star Travis Hunter. Shedeur Sanders delivered it.
He finished his final season in Boulder with 4,134 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and a 74% completion rate, numbers that made him one of the country’s best passers even if his NFL career has been rough so far. Since then, Colorado hasn’t found that same stability under center.
The Buffaloes dropped to four wins in 2025, with starting quarterback Kaidon Salter throwing seven interceptions. Salter is now gone, and Colorado turns to a new depth chart that features a former five-star at the top and another recognizable name behind him.
At the top sits Julian Lewis, the redshirt freshman who was officially named the Week 1 starter against Georgia Tech by offensive coordinator Brennan Marion last week. Lewis was a five-star recruit in the 2025 class by multiple outlets after reclassifying from 2024, originally committing to USC before flipping to Colorado in November 2024. He was brought in as the expected successor to Shedeur Sanders, though his first season in Boulder didn’t unfold as the full-time debut many expected.
Lewis played in four games as a true freshman in 2025, starting two of them late in the year after Salter had already been installed as QB1. That made him the ninth true freshman to start at quarterback in Colorado history.
Even in limited action, he showed enough to enter 2026 as the clear choice to take over the offense. He was also named to the Shawn Alexander Award Watch List ahead of the season.
The numbers back up the promise. In four games, Lewis completed 52 of 94 passes for 589 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions, with a 122.0 quarterback rating.
He added minus-35 rushing yards and no rushing touchdowns. One of his best outings came against West Virginia last November, when he threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns.
Behind him is Isaac Wilson, better known to many fans as Zach Wilson’s brother. Isaac Wilson is Colorado’s QB2 and enters his third year of college after two seasons at Utah.
Zach Wilson, the former No. 2 overall pick by the Jets in 2021, is now in his sixth NFL season. The younger Wilson made seven starts as a true freshman at Utah, then spent 2025 as a backup.
He also had a notable moment in 2024, becoming the first Utes true freshman quarterback to beat an AP ranked team when Utah knocked off Oklahoma State.
Wilson arrived at Colorado as a former consensus four-star recruit, and while he doesn’t have an immediate path to the starting job in 2026, he gives the Buffaloes a more recognizable and experienced backup option behind Lewis.
Rounding out the room is Kaneal Sweetwyne at No. 3.
In Other News...
Utah's First Rout Under Morgan Scalley Still Left One Big Concern
Utah opened the 2026 season in style at Rice-Eccles Stadium, rolling past Idaho 66-14 in Morgan Scalleys first rout as head coach. The Utes were efficient enough to put the game away quickly, with both quarterbacks Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin seeing action and the offense producing big plays throughout the afternoon.
Wayshawn Parker gave the start an immediate jolt, finding the end zone three times early as Utah built a cushion that never really came under threat. Even so, the clean final score masked some early unevenness up front, where both lines had moments theyll want back before settling in and improving as the game went along. [Read more 🡒]
Utahs Backfield Suddenly Looks More Dangerous Than Anyone Expected
Utahs offense left no doubt in a 66-14 win over Idaho, and the most encouraging part for the Utes may have been how many ways they were able to run the ball. The victory set school records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, with the backfield piling up production well beyond the usual lead option. Wayshawn Parker was at the center of it, finishing with 71 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while several other Utah runners chipped in meaningful yardage.
Morgan Scalley had plenty to like afterward, especially the way Parker handled the moment and the overall depth in the running back room. For a team that wants its ground game to travel week after week, Utah suddenly looks as if it has more answers than expected, and this performance only raised the stakes for figuring out how the workload will be split moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Just Unveiled Another Dangerous Weapon On Offense
Utah spent its season opener against Idaho showing just how many ways it can stress a defense, and Wayshawn Parker quickly became one of the nights most dangerous answers. The running back finished with 94 all-purpose yards in the 66-14 win, and he was part of an offense that looked anything but one-dimensional, with the Utes leaning on both the ground game and the passing attack to keep Idaho from settling in.
The broader picture was even more encouraging for Utah: the Utes rolled up big yardage in both phases and had multiple players involved in the scoring, while the defense helped tilt the game early with Trey Reynolds interception setting up the first points. For an offense still showing its full shape, Parkers breakout was the kind of opening statement that suggests there may already be another reliable threat waiting to emerge as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]