Lewis, Salter kick off new era of Buffs football in spring game

Madison Kerest/Sko Buffs Sports

The Colorado Buffaloes had their annual Black & Gold Spring Game at Folsom Field on Saturday, and all eyes were focused on the quarterback battle between Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and true freshman Julian Lewis. The offense needs someone to take the keys from Shedeur Sanders, who had his jersey retired before the game alongside Travis Hunter, and the battle between Salter and Lewis is poised to be a good one.

Lewis started the game running with the first-stringers on offense. After a couple of short passes at the start to settle the nerves of his first collegiate appearance, albeit a scrimmage, Lewis found his rhythm, highlighted by a strike to freshman receiver Kam Mikell.

Colorado True Freshman QB Julian Lewis throws a dime to Kam Mikell 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VcNBniKELj

— NoSkoZone (@noskozone) April 19, 2025

For Salter, who led the Flames to a 13-1 record and a Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2023, began his day with the second-team offensive unit. He ran a tush-push for a first down, a good sign since Colorado struggled mightily on third and fourth and shorts a season ago, and found Tulsa transfer Joseph Williams in the corner of the end zone for a 22-yard strike.

Coach Prime said that the decision to have Lewis run with the first-team was “disciplinary” and didn’t elaborate on the possible off-the-field issues with his quarterback room.

“You guys are so used to [Shedeur Sanders] that you got to understand that these guys are different,” Prime said. “They have different strengths, different qualities about themselves and we got to make sure we maximize their potential utilizing those things.”

For the two quarterbacks, while the narrative is how there is a competition between them for who gets the starting spot in the fall to replace Sanders, they’re focused on the bond they’ve created so far this spring and the mentorship that Salter is able to provide Lewis with.

“It’s been all fun,” Salter said. “I just remember the time when I was a freshman and I had Malik Willis to mentor me, so I just know what it takes to help mentor and at the same time compete and do what I have to do.”

“We got such a great quarterback room, just in people … [Salter]’s big bro, it’s just getting his little tips and tricks he’s got. He’s on his last season, I’m on my first so I can’t really knock him and say he doesn’t know something because he’s been there and done that.”

When both quarterbacks were on the field, the Buffs struggled with penalties, a trend that showed no difference from the 2024 season in which the black and gold led the Big 12 in penalties. It is just a practice, and the team has plenty of time to iron out the penalty problems before Georgia Tech comes to town on Aug. 31.

For star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, he’s excited to have a new signal caller behind him this season, no matter which quarterback it ends up being.

“They both complement each other. The QB battle is going to be really this this year … They’re both competing,” Seaton said.

Elsewhere for the Buffs, the special teams unit looked a lot different, as Buck Buchanan was able to knock down a 60-yard field goal and send a kickoff to the back of the end zone for a touchback. Alejandro Mata still handled the short field goals, but having Buchanan’s power will be a major difference for the Buffs this year.

On defense, Arden Walker made a lot of plays off the edge while transfer Tawfiq Byard was all over the place, letting fans know that he’s ready to step up and fill the shoes of all the safeties who left after the 2024 season.

Ben Finneseth ,a senior safety from Durango, was awarded a scholarship before the game. He came to the Buffs in 2021 as a walk-on, and has slowly worked his way up to earning a scholarship after a good spring and a 2024 season in which he made multiple plays on special teams.

“I almost started crying as soon as [Prime] said ‘Where’s 28?’ … I told coach, as soon as I put my head on his shoulder, I said thank you for believing in me, because he’s believed in me since day one,” Finneseth said.

While there are a lot of wrinkles that still need to be ironed over the offseason for the Buffs, Saturday’s spring game was a success for Coach Prime and the Buffaloes, as they now begin a break before reuniting for practices in the summer.

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