Coach Prime ready to unleash elite talent at Buffs’ skill positions

FRISCO, Texas — Life after Shedeur Sanders, and Travis Hunter appears to be going smoothly for the Buffaloes’ offense, and their head coach feels the best is yet to come.

It usually means a major rebuild for the following season when a team loses a Heisman-winning wide receiver, a record-setting quarterback and two other wideouts to the NFL Draft. However, Coach Prime believes he has the right pieces in place to keep the wheels rolling on offense.

After all, he has two talented quarterbacks that are battling it out to be the week one starter. Filling the shoes of a Johnny Unitas Golden Arm winner will be a tough task, yet Kaidon Salter and Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis are ready for whatever comes with the territory. Coach Prime is analyzing their potential, and the value they bring to the offense as a whole.

Salter has the experience, leadership and production, considering all of his accomplishments over the past four seasons at Liberty. Meanwhile Lewis is the flashy true freshman, who’s bringing a lot of hype behind his name to the program. After promising performances in the Black and Gold Game by the two signal-callers, Coach Prime anticipates the competition going deep into fall camp. He’s even open to playing both if necessary.

“Yeah, as long as they’re doing their jobs and we’re winning, we definitely want to continue to develop JuJu, but Kaidon is unbelievable,” he said. “He’s been there, done that, he can get the job done, but JuJu is coming on round the mountain when he comes.”

Lewis is making the most out of his opportunities behind center, and despite his youth, the 17-year old has tremendous upside. He’s willing to learn behind Salter, and trusts the decision-making of his head coach.

“I think we both want to play, but I understand that the best man will play,” Lewis said. “Coach Prime made that very clear.”

Salter carries himself with confidence, after throwing for 5,887 yards and 56 touchdowns during his time with the Flames. The Dallas native is a winner, and remains confident that Coach Prime and his staff will help him be successful. Salter continues to build a relationship with Lewis, and is welcoming the responsibility of making the quarterback room more like a brotherhood.

“This quarterback competition is a little different, I’m the vet in the room now,” Salter said. “Just being able to keep building a bond with JuJu, and we’ve already have that big brother, little brother-type of bond.”

Coach Prime is making sure his quarterback will be surrounded with speed at the skill positions. Hunter, LaJohntay Wester and Jimmy Horn Jr., are all in the NFL now, so it’s going to be crucial for Salter and Lewis to build chemistry with new targets. Dre’ion Miller is the leading returning receiver, with 32 catches in 2024. His teammate Omarion Miller has the speed to stretch the field on defenses. Which is why he averaged a jaw-dropping 21 yards per catch last season.

There’ll also be a couple new faces in the mix, including Joseph Williams, who caught five touchdowns at Tulsa as a freshman last year. Coach Prime is in awe of the athleticism at the wide receiver position, and don’t think the group will miss a beat this fall.

“Now you got to understand they’re replacing some dogs, but I can’t wait until the world get a glimpse of these receivers, because we have some youngsters from freshman and up that can flat-out go get it,” the 57-year old said. “I’m proud of our recruits, our coaches, and I’m proud of what we’ve brought into Boulder, Colorado.”

The Buffaloes were abysmal on the ground last year, and finished dead last in the FBS in rushing offense. Still, most of that production returns, including running backs Dallan Hayden, Micah Welch and Charlie Offerdahl. All of them want to be more involved with the offense, and with Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk’s direction, the backfield should make tremendous strides.

Everything is still a work in progress, but the month of August is when everything will start to get more intense. Regardless, the key ingredients are currently in place for the offense to produce a great recipe in Coach Prime’s eyes.

“They are unbelievable, they are awesome and I can’t wait to unleash them.”