Kaidon Salter ranks in bottom half of Power 4 quarterbacks

Kaidon Salter was supposed to be the answer to bridging the gap between Shedeur Sanders and Julian Lewis for the Colorado Buffaloes. The veteran transferred to Boulder after spending four years with the Liberty Flames, highlighted by a 2023 campaign in which he led his Group of 5 school to a berth in the Fiesta Bowl.

Through the first five games of the season, the fifth-year senior hasn’t lived up to the hype. Salter was benched after just two games in favor of Ryan Staub, and then was made the starter once again after Staub and the Buffs were blown out by Houston in Week 3. He played well in his outings against Delaware and Wyoming, the two worst opponents on Colorado’s schedule this season, but hasn’t played up to the hype against two Power 4 opponents in Georgia Tech and BYU.

Against the Yellow Jackets in the season opener, he threw for 159 yards and a touchdown while completing 60.7% of his passes. Against BYU, he finished with just 119 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and also took three poor sacks. The interception was a rushed play that cost the Buffs the game when he could’ve thrown it away and lived to see another down.

INTERCEPTED BY #BYU

ISAIAH GLASKER

THAT SHOULD DO IT pic.twitter.com/bIB4d2P2mA

— your iowa state friend (@lowaState) September 28, 2025

He’s had some accuracy problems, and has struggled to be the vocal leader under center that Sanders once was, despite the plethora of experience under his belt. Coach Prime has emphasized that he’s looking for consistency and accountability from his quarterbacks this season, and it doesn’t quite seem that Salter has checked those boxes off for his head coach.

ESPN ranked all 68 starting quarterbacks in the Power 4, and the Buffaloes’ signal caller was not high on the list, as he slotted in at No. 40 on the list. There are nine Big 12 quarterbacks ahead of him, including BYU freshman Bear Bachmeier, who went toe-to-toe with Salter on Saturday at Folsom Field and led his team to a 24-21 victory. Salter is ahead of the likes of Arch Manning and Cade Klubnik, two QBs who were thought of to be Heisman Trophy candidates at the start of the season, but that speaks more on how poorly those two have played for their powerhouse programs, Texas and Clemson.

What do the Buffs need from their signal caller to improve on a slow start to the season? He’s been rushed at times and has bailed out of pockets too early while receivers get open when he’s not looking. If the Buffs want to win any of their next three conference games, all of which should be challenging, they need him to show more poise in the pocket. Yes, he’s a dual-threat QB at heart, and his running ability has tremendously helped the black and gold in certain situations, but it’s done more bad than good in clutch situations.

Salter will have a big chance to redeem himself against TCU on Saturday. Kick for that Big 12 showdown is set for 5:30 p.m. MDT, and the game will be televised on Fox.

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