Sports
The Colorado Buffaloes are heading into a pivotal season under Deion Sanders, one defined by change – and scrutiny.
For the first time since Sanders took over in 2023, Colorado will take the field without quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter, both of whom played central roles in the team’s dramatic rise from a one-win squad to a nine-win contender.
Naturally, expectations have been tempered, but one college football insider is preaching patience – and even optimism.
Joel Klatt, a lead college football analyst for Fox Sports, recently appeared on The Herd and shared his view on Colorado’s 2025 outlook. Despite the departure of two of the program’s biggest stars, Klatt believes Sanders‘ team is more equipped than people realize.
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“I don’t see them taking a huge step back, maybe a small one,” Klatt said. “They’ve recruited at a very high level, and they’ve brought in a couple of quarterbacks – Kaidon Salter, a quarterback transfer from Liberty. And they also got Julian Lewis, who decommitted from USC.”
Salter, who threw for 1,886 yards and 15 touchdowns with just six interceptions at Liberty in 2024, is widely expected to start for Colorado in Week 1. But Klatt emphasized the depth in the quarterback room, noting that Julian Lewis, a five-star freshman and former USC commit, could challenge for playing time if needed.
Depth at quarterback helps, but offensive line remains a concern
While Sanders has built a promising quarterback pipeline, Klatt stressed that Colorado’s true challenge lies up front. The offensive line – a consistent issue in recent seasons – remains an area of uncertainty.
The Buffaloes lost key linemen Zack Owens and Cash Cleveland to the portal this offseason, weakening a unit that already struggled with protection and consistency in 2024.
“Deion has done a really great job, whether it’s been in the portal or in high school, recruiting to try to reload,” Klatt said. “They need to continue to get better at the line of scrimmage.”
One potential bright spot is the arrival of Carde Smith, a four-star offensive tackle with long-term upside. But as with most young linemen, there may be growing pains early in the season – especially against a competitive Big 12 slate.
Colorado finished 9-4 in 2024, including a 7-2 mark in Big 12 play, which placed them fourth in the conference standings. That success, however, came with the stability of Shedeur Sanders at quarterback and Hunter making plays on both sides of the ball. Replacing that kind of production – and leadership – won’t be easy.
Klatt also pointed to the parity in the Big 12 as a major obstacle for Colorado, regardless of their talent level.
“The more difficult part for me, and I know this sounds crazy, even more so than replacing Shedeur and Travis is the Big 12,” he explained. “If you look at what Vegas says… the team they think is worst has an over-under at 5.5 wins, and the best is set at 8.5. That’s a tight window.”
High volatility could define Colorado’s season
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Colorado enters the season with +2500 odds to win the Big 12 Championship and -176 odds to finish under 6.5 wins – highlighting the market’s uncertainty about how Sanders’ new-look team will perform. Klatt noted that the competitiveness of the Big 12 makes outcomes hard to predict.
“Could Colorado be a four-win team? Maybe. Could they be a nine-win team? Maybe,” Klatt said. “This conference is just so deep and bunched together with a lot of quality programs.”
Colorado opens the 2025 season on August 29 against Georgia Tech, a matchup that should offer an early test for the Buffaloes‘ revamped offense and developing offensive line.
While the questions are valid, so too is the foundation Sanders is building. His approach in the transfer portal, high school recruiting, and quarterback development gives Colorado a shot to remain competitive – even as they transition out of the Shedeur-Travis Hunter era.
This news was originally published on this post .
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