Colorado Buffaloes HC Deion Sanders might be caught up with some mixed feels. He has been able to drop the heavy burden off his shoulders on one end. The burden of coaching his two sons Shedeur and Shilo while taking care of the whole Buffs team. Conversely, his sons will be flying out of his nest. However, recently, some more woes were added to Deion’s life. That’s because the Buffs HC was in a dilemma to pick up Shedeur’s successor.
The debate between Kaidon Salter and his favorite Julian “JuJu” Lewis had heated up. Now that the cool breeze ushers in with spring camp, one competitor outdid the other. While this is exciting news in itself, here comes some more excitement as Deion landed an ex-NFL pro to his staff.
Spring practice has its answer for Deion Sanders’ QB dilemma
Now come on, we all know how desperate the Buffaloes were for their favorite JuJu. What have they not done for the QB? They made their 101-year-old superfan Peggy Coppom to woo the 17-year-old through a heartfelt message. Not just this. They even named the Boulder joint’s famous burger as ‘JuJu’s Precision Pass Burger.’ However, doubts started to mount about Lewis filling Shedeur’s shoes when Deion landed Liberty Flames transfer Salter. Some believed that Salter fits the Buffs offense and he would be the guy to be out this spring in Deion’s squad. Others were under the notion that the Carrollton High School star is “everything that we desire in a quarterback.” And here comes the latest intel. As per the On3 reports, turns out that Deion’s favorite JuJu is nearing the finish line of the QB1 race.
Well, many were more than confident that Salter would win the job. More so, after his 7-word vow went viral. On the February 3 episode of the Well Off Media podcast, he promised, “Shedeur did his thing here, but it’s time for me to come in and do what I got to do. What Shedeur did and it’s time for me to come in and start my own legacy year.” Salter had started 29 games for the Flames and earned Conference USA MVP honors in 2023. Given his experience, he was believed to be the mentor for Lewis. But look how the tables turned. As per the sources, the true freshman is squarely in the mix through one week. JuJu has carried his fine throwing game to the spring practice. The highlights of Lewis’ spring feat already went viral.
Colorado’s SkoBuffsGoBuffs tweeted a clip with the caption, “Julian Lewis is only 17 years old The Future of Colorado Football #SkoBuffs.” In that clip, Lewis already looked comfortable with the offense. We can’t miss his arm strength and accuracy in a number of passing drills. This was enough to woo Coach Prime at first who picked JuJu about which player would break down the huddle. But as soon as he came to know that Lewis finished with an interception, he swapped him with another player. Amidst the QB drama, something else too calls for attention in the Boulder hood.
Deion Sanders adds firepower to his coaching lineup
Coach Prime must have thought of adding some oomph factor to his coaching lineup too. As the spring practice gets underway, the Colorado HC made a significant addition to the coaching staff. After all, the Buffs have reaped the sweet fruits of their additions to the coaching lineup. Deion’s first year at Boulder came as a 4 wins season. Cut to 2024, Colorado witnessed a major turnaround with the first winning season (9-4) by the program since 2016. The reason behind the great revamp?
Obviously, their offense looked much better under offensive coordinator and NFL coaching veteran Pat Shurmur. The 59-year-old coach was earlier promoted from co-offensive coordinator after the departure of Sean Lewis to San Diego State. This season Shurmur’s power is going to get 10x more. Courtesy? Deion has added former NFL quarterback and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich as reported by FOX Sports’ analyst Jordan Schultz.
The reports come a day after Leftwich was spotted at practice holding a clipboard and wearing Colorado football gear. Even though his role in Deion Sanders’ staff is unclear, he walks in with a strong resume. A successful quarterback and a first-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2003 NFL Draft, he served in various coaching roles. In 2018, he became the interim offensive coordinator for the Cardinals. Later on, he served as offensive coordinator for Tampa Bay Buccaneers leading Tom Brady and Co. to a Super Bowl LV win in 2021. No more QB headaches in Boulder—Deion Sanders has his guy.
The post Colorado’s QB1 All but Confirmed in Latest Spring Intel as Deion Sanders Adds Ex-NFL Pro to Staff appeared first on EssentiallySports.
