In his three seasons as head football coach, Deion Sanders has brought an unprecedented level of attention to the Colorado Buffaloes.
After Heisman Award winner Travis Hunter and school record-setter Shedeur Sanders have left for the NFL, Colorado is now in a new era, and as of Week 3 of the college football season, Ryan Staub expects to be their next staring quarterback.
After his 7/10 for 157 yards and a touchdown performance in the Buffaloes’ Week 2 game against Delaware, Sanders hinted Staub would be the starter for their Week 3 matchup against the Houston Cougars.
Here’s what you need to know about Colorado’s new starting quarterback.
2025 Isn’t His First Season In Boulder
Though just a few weeks into the 2025 college football season, Staub is in perhaps more headlines than ever before, he isn’t new to Sanders and the Colorado program. Staub arrived in Boulder in 2023, Sanders’s first year leading the program, as a freshman.
He played in three games during that first year, including one start, completing 23 of 40 total passes for 254 yards and one touchdown.
In what was his official redshirt season last year, Staub played in four games, but saw just 20 total snaps over that span. He missed all four passes he threw, while being sacked once.
Staub Was A High-School Superstar
Before playing at Colorado, Staub excelled as the starting quarterback at West Ranch High School in Stevenson Ranch, California.
“As an upperclassman, he was 355-of-600 (.592) passing for 5,422 yards and 58 touchdowns to just 15 interceptions, leading West Ranch to a 19-4 record as a starter,” Staub’s bio reads on the official Colorado Athletics website. “He holds virtually every single season and career QB school record.”
GettyRyan Staub #16 of the Colorado Buffaloes throws a pass against the Utah Utes during the first half of their game at Rice Eccles Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Along with the numerous school records and receiving conference and state honors, Staub was a top-rated recruit. Rivals had Staub as the 22nd quarterback in the class and the 45th best player from California, while ESPN had him as the 24th quarterback and 68th best from the state.
Along with his historic high-school football career, Staub was on the track and field team, too.
Not The Only Athlete In The Family
Staub is set to endure more pressure than previously seen in his career now that he’ll be the starter at Colorado. Yet still, thriving in college athletics appears to be a trait shared by other members of his family.
Staub’s brother, Jared, was a receiver at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2019 and 2020. His father is also a UCB alumnus, a pole vaulter on the track and field team, making All-Pac 10 honors in the 1990s. Staub’s grandfather won a national championship at the University of Southern California as a catcher during their historic baseball run in the 1960s and ’70s.
He Credits Shedeur For Much Of His Success
After leading Colorado in their 31-7 win over Delaware, Staub shared that playing behind Sanders in 2023 and 2024 helped shape him as a player.
“I‘ve been blessed to be able to sit behind him for two years, and I got to see everything that he did and the way he does things, day in and day out, the way he sees stuff in the film room,” Staub said of Sanders. “I’ve been right there behind it, and I’ve tried to take as much as I can from him.”
“Everything,” Staub said recently about what he learned from the now third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. “What it takes to prepare at the highest level. Seeing how he managed things at practice, the way he handled the receivers, you know, if someone busted a route or, you know, he was just — he was on everything.”
Shedeur, now in Cleveland, responded to the quarterback’s praise, according to his father, who is the team’s coach.
“Yes, of course, Shedeur has called Staub. Everybody who played has called and reached out to Staub because they love him,” Sanders said.
Staub Set To Start Over Two Other Top QBs
Now, set to start in Colorado’s Week 3 matchup against Houston, Staub will be the lead passer for a team with two other top quarterbacks.
One is Kaidon Salter, who started their two previous matchups. He is a transfer from Liberty, coming off back-to-back 1,800+ yard seasons. Salter was a four-star recruit and top-ten quarterback out of Texas in 2021, while he had a .8900 transfer rating from 247 Sports before committing to the Buffaloes in what will be his final collegiate season.
Along with the transfer of Salter, Staub is also starting over five-star recruit Julian Lewis. Lewis was one of the highest-rated high school players to commit to Colorado, ranked as a unanimous top-ten quarterback of 2025, with ESPN rating him as the second-best player in the country.
Lewis threw just 2/4 for eight yards in Colorado’s game against Delaware. At the moment, he remains at the bottom of Sanders’ quarterback totem pole, Staub set to start with Salter as his expected backup.
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