Colorado QB Ryan Staub’s Unexpected Moment: What Happened Next Shocked Everyone Against Delaware

Colorado kicked off the 2025 offseason juggling two flashy quarterback prospects—Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and the five-star freshman Julian Lewis—both poised to fill Shedeur Sanders’ sizable cleats. Yet, in an intriguing twist right out of a sports novel, it wasn’t either of those headline grabbers who stole the show in Week 2 against Delaware. Nope, it was redshirt sophomore Ryan Staub, a seasoned Buffalo who quietly seized a last-minute opportunity and dazzled, leaving even himself stunned. How often do you see the “third wheel” come out of nowhere and orchestrate multiple touchdown drives with zero interceptions? Deion Sanders’ gamble of rotating three quarterbacks proved an unexpected masterstroke — one that’s got everyone wondering: Is Staub the secret weapon Colorado’s been waiting for all along? The answer might just reshape their season… and the quarterback race is suddenly wide open. LEARN MORE.

Colorado entered the 2025 college football offseason with two candidates to potentially replace Shedeur Sanders at quarterback: Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and five-star freshman Julian Lewis. Yet, coming out of their Week 2 win over Delaware, the Buffaloes might have found an unlikely answer in redshirt sophomore Ryan Staub.

Head coach Deion Sanders gave Salter the nod in Week 1, but Colorado used all three quarterbacks in Week 2 against Delaware. The decision even surprised Staub, who was not aware of the plan until late in the week.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Staub said, via ESPN. “I mean, yeah, there’s been a lot of days of a lot of work and some self-doubt and, you know, kind of my own battles. It’s crazy to be rewarded this way. It doesn’t really feel real. But I’m also looking forward to next week. We need to get back to work.”

Staub was the third man in the rotation and did not enter the game until Colorado’s final drive of the first half, which began with just 45 seconds remaining. He engineered a 36-second touchdown drive before starting the second half and leading the team to another score.

Staub played a total of four drives in the game, with three of them ending in the end zone. He finished with 157 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions and was clearly the most effective quarterback of the three.

Ryan Staub seemingly leading Colorado’s quarterback room

Sanders appeared to use the Delaware game as an evaluation for his quarterbacks, in which Staub was clearly the top performer. The Colorado head football coach would not directly name Staub as his Week 3 starter, but said that he is now certain which quarterback he is ready to move forward with.

Unlike Salter and Lewis, Staub is a veteran of the program. He has been with Colorado for his entire three-year career, making him the most experienced signal-caller in Sanders and Pat Shurmur’s system. Sanders previously said he gave Salter the Week 1 starting nod due to his experience, a trait Staub also has.

Although Salter still played the most of any Colorado quarterback in Week 2, he was far less successful than Staub. Salter only led one touchdown drive, as opposed to two that ended in punts. Salter provides a dual-threat element that Staub does not, but Sanders appears to be leaning toward giving the latter his first start of the year against Houston.

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