Where did Kaidon Salter rank in USA TODAY Sports Big 12 quarterback rankings?
Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter will battle five-star freshman Julian Lewis for the starting job, and after spring performances, the competition seems neck and neck. Salter, Conference USA MVP in 2023, seems like the likely Week 1 starter, but it is still up in the air at this point. USA TODAY Sports' Jordan Mendoza ranked Salter as the tenth-best quarterback in his offseason Big 12 quarterback power rankings.
Salter had a down season in 2024 compared to his monster 2023 year, throwing for only 1,886 yards with 22 total touchdowns. If Salter can regain his MVP form that saw him put up 44 total touchdowns, he would immediately become one of the league's top signal-callers.
Mendoza explained Salter's No. 10 ranking, noting his statistical decline last season as a key factor in the decision.
Salter looks to be Deion Sanders' first quarterback at Colorado that isn't his son, with the Liberty transfer appearing to be ahead of freshman Julian Lewis. Salters is capable of manning a high-potent offense...His numbers dipped signifcantly in 2024, but he can turn things around with weapons at his disposal this year.
Arizona State's Sam Leavitt was ranked No. 1, followed by Baylor's Sawyer Robertson, TCU's Josh Hoover and Iowa State's Rocco Becht, who round out the top 4. All four top quarterbacks were starters for their current team's last season.
Other quarterbacks around Salter were Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby (No. 9), Arizona's Noah Fifita (No. 8) and Utah's Devon Dampier (No. 11).
Salter can be a top-5 quarterback in the Big 12; he has to prove he can do it with a new team and against better competition. In our Big 12 quarterback room rankings, Salter and the Buffaloes came in at No. 9.
Colorado opens the season in Boulder against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Aug. 29.
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