As far as Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is concerned, the Buffaloes owe it to their fans and the team to put the best players on the field.
When it comes to quarterback, however, figuring out who is the best won’t be easy.
“Both guys could be our very best players,” Shurmur said Friday as the Buffs wrapped up their fourth practice of preseason camp.
Senior Kaidon Salter and freshman JuJu Lewis continue to battle for the starting job and it’s an ongoing process as CU looks ahead to the Aug. 29 opener against Georgia Tech.
“I call it quarterback development,” Shurmur said when asked about the competition. “I think we’ll develop a plan who plays and when once we get to the game. But right now, as we go through the installations, we demand that they all learn everything that we’re doing, and I see good progress each day.”
Shurmur said the Buffs have new installations to the offense each of the first eight days, and the quarterbacks are required to learn the install and apply it to the field.
“So, it’s a process,” he said. “They’re both very, very smart guys. JuJu, obviously, is much younger, so this process is a little bit foreign to him, but Kaidon has got a lot of experience, and he’s used to it. And I think they’re both doing extremely well.”
Four weeks before the opener, Shurmur didn’t show much urgency in naming a starter and said that decision would come from head coach Deion Sanders.
“In the meantime, we just keep working with them,” Shurmur said, “and those decisions will be made behind the scenes, and coach will reveal all that.”
Team player
Cornerback DJ McKinney continues to get recognized as a leader and top player for the Buffs. A returning starter who was one of CU’s best players last year, McKinney was named preseason All-Big 12 and then was tabbed as the Buffs’ top player at the first practice Tuesday.
“Honestly, my motivation is just my team,” he said. “I want to be the best for them. I want to lock down my side of the field. And then, honestly hearing Coach Prime’s journey with the issues he was dealing with, it makes you feel a certain type of way, because that’s your coach. You look up to him. … At the end of the day, that’s my motivation: my team and my coach.”
Miller’s time
Injuries and playing behind talented veterans has held Omarion Miller back from busting loose during his first two college seasons, but Shurmur said the junior receiver has enormous potential.
“The injury set him back a year ago,” Shurmur said. “I mean, we had really, really high hopes for him a year ago. He’s a dynamic, explosive player, and it showed up. It showed up in his first game against USC (in 2023), where he burst on the scene, became a household name after going the distance twice, which is great, but he’s grown up.
“He’s a really, really dynamic player. He’s got a super bright future.”
With veterans injured, Miller caught seven passes for 196 yards against USC two years ago but had just four receptions the rest of the year. Last year, he had a 58-yard TD reception against Baylor and an eight-catch, 145-yard performance against Kansas State, but missed the last seven games with an injury.
This week, he’s made several big plays in practice, looking like a top receiver.
“I see a totally different man in Omarion now than I saw two years ago when I got here, and I think that’s going to help him,” Shurmur said.
Notable
CU has hired Devin Ruffin as the assistant director of player personnel. He comes to CU after working as the director of recruiting at East Tennessee State. … While Salter and Lewis are battling for the starting job, Shurmur said of redshirt sophomore Ryan Staub, “Let’s not sleep on Ryan.” Staub was the top backup to former starter Shedeur Sanders the past two years. When asked if he has three quarterbacks he trusts to play, Shurmur said, “I do; given the opportunity to play, I think he’s going to play well.”
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.