Just a few days before head coach Deion Sanders and his Colorado squad open up their 2025 campaign against Georgia Tech, Coach Prime has named a starting quarterback.
On Tuesday, Colorado announced that Kaidon Salter — who transferred to Colorado this offseason after starting three seasons at Liberty — will be the Buffaloes' signal-caller. Julian Lewis, the highly-touted freshman, was competing with Salter for the job and will open the season as the backup.
MORE: Colorado's Kaidon Salter named starting QB before Georgia Tech
Kaidon Salter will start at QB week 1 vs. Georgia Tech, Deion Sanders announced.
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 26, 2025
(via @noskozone) pic.twitter.com/d7dwuYbwbq
Salter will take over as Colorado’s starting quarterback in coach Deion Sanders’ third season in Boulder — and his first without his son, Shedeur Sanders, under center. The Buffaloes also lost two-way star Travis Hunter to the NFL Draft in the offseason.
Here’s what you need to know about Salter before he and Colorado open the season Friday.
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Who is Kaidon Salter?
Salter comes to Colorado after four seasons at Liberty, where he had a 58.7% completion percentage while throwing for 5,887 yards and 56 touchdowns. He also ran for 2,013 yards.
After a brief and tumultuous stint at Tennessee, the Texas native found a home at Liberty, where he developed into a dynamic playmaker.
Salter’s breakout season came in 2023, when he led Liberty to an undefeated regular season and a Conference USA championship. He threw for 2,876 yards and a school-record 32 touchdowns while rushing for 1,089 yards and 12 more scores.
That performance earned him Conference USA MVP honors, as well as semifinalist recognition for the Maxwell Award and finalist consideration for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, which honors the nation’s top offensive player from Texas high schools, junior colleges or universities.
Salter’s production dipped slightly in 2024, but he still earned honorable mention All-CUSA before entering the transfer portal. He finished his Liberty career with 56 passing touchdowns, the fourth-most in school history.
Now a senior at Colorado, Salter won a high-profile quarterback competition against Lewis to replace Shedeur Sanders.
MORE: How Kaidon Salter beat out Julian Lewis to replace Shedeur Sanders in 2025
Why did Kaidon Salter transfer from Liberty?
Salter transferred to Colorado by entering the transfer portal during the 2024-2025 college football offseason. He committed to the Buffaloes on December 18, 2024, after a brief period in the portal.
It's assumed Salter transferred from Liberty was to play his final season at a higher-profile program in a Power Four conference. After an impressive 2023 season at Liberty where he won conference MVP, Salter was a highly sought-after transfer quarterback. He chose Colorado to compete for the starting job to replace Sanders, seeing the opportunity to play under Coach Prime and in the new-look Big 12.
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Why did Kaidon Salter transfer from Tennessee?
Salter's time at Tennessee ended abruptly due to a series of off-field issues. He was dismissed from the team by head coach Josh Heupel following his second off-field incident within a few months.
First, he was among a group of players suspended for their involvement in a "dorm room incident" in March 2021. He was later reinstated, but in June 2021, Salter was arrested on misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and driving without a license after police pulled over his vehicle for a taillight violation.