Ryan Staub’s Unexpected QB Start for Colorado vs. Houston Could Change Everything in Week 3

When Deion Sanders takes the helm at Colorado, you know there’s a method to the madness—yet the QB carousel this season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. For Week 3, it turns out Ryan Staub, initially the third-string quarterback, is poised to take the reins against Houston. Not exactly the storyline most expected, considering Kaidon Salter kicked off the first couple of games under center, and five-star freshman JuJu Lewis got his shot last week. But Staub’s brief cameo, where he rattled off some impressive numbers, clearly caught Sanders’ eye, shaking up the depth chart more than a little. It’s those twists and turns that make college football such a thrill—and with the stakes rising each week, the Buffaloes’ QB saga is shaping up to be one of the season’s juiciest subplots. LEARN MORE

Deion Sanders’ QB plan for Colorado’s Week 3 game against Houston has been revealed.

According to ESPN, Ryan Staub is expected to start for the Buffaloes when they visit the Cougars on Friday night. Staub began the season as the team’s No. 3 QB after Kaidon Salter started the first two games of the season for the Buffaloes.

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Salter played every snap in Colorado’s season-opening loss to Georgia Tech in Week 1. In Week 2 against Delaware, Sanders played three quarterbacks. Salter started and got the first two possessions, five-star freshman JuJu Lewis got the next two and then Staub ended up playing four straight possessions.

Staub’s playing time was undoubtedly impacted by how well he played. Staub was 7-of-10 passing for 157 yards and two scores over those four possessions before Salter and Lewis played the final four possessions of the game.

“The plan was each quarterback was going to get two series apiece and that’s what they did and somebody was going to come out of the pack … I think Staub got four, he was consistent and I wanted to give the other guys another opportunity,” Sanders said Saturday.

Sanders also said after the game that he knew what his plan would be at quarterback for the Houston game but wasn’t going to publicly reveal it. That secret lasted less than three days.

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Staub threw just four passes as a backup to Shedeur Sanders in 2024. He got more playing time in 2023 as a freshman when he was 23-of-40 passing for 254 yards and a TD.

The California native committed to the Buffaloes out of high school as a three-star recruit when Karl Dorrell was the team’s head coach. He stayed committed to Colorado after Dorrell was fired during the middle of the 2023 season and Sanders took over as the team’s head coach ahead of the 2024 season.

Staub was also seen as a bit of an afterthought in Colorado’s QB competition ahead of the 2025 season. Salter transferred from Liberty for his final season of eligibility and Lewis was one of the highest-rated high school QBs in the country when he signed with the Buffaloes. If Staub plays well against the Cougars on Friday night, it’s easy to see how he’ll keep the starting job for at least another week.