"They will not be driving this thing with training wheels" - CFB insider has a stern warning for Coach Prime's next starting QB

Colorado coach Deion Sanders aka Coach Prime is facing his most important decision ahead of the 2025 season. His son, Shedeur Sanders, played quarterback for him throughout his coaching career but now that he has declared for the NFL draft, Prime will have to find his next QB1.

The options range from veteran Ryan Staub who backed up Shedeur the past two seasons without getting much game time, transfer quarterback Kaidon Salter who was acquired from the Liberty Flames and freshman Julian Lewis who flipped his commitment from the USC Trojans to Colorado in December.

During Wednesday's segment of the "On3" podcast, analyst JD PicKell gave a stern warning to whichever player wins the battle to be Coach Prime's QB1 next season.

"Whoever does get the keys to the Colorado offense, they will not be driving this thing with training wheels," PicKell said (1:30). "That's not gonna be their identity. Not saying that they won't have a run game but the approach will be the same as when they had Shedeur Sanders in the lineup.

"They will push the ball downfield, they will pass a lot, they will be quarterback-driven. Skill player driven of course, offensive line will do their job but it will go as the quarterback goes. Julian Lewis should he win the job, he's the guy to drive this thing exactly in some sense how Shedeur Sanders would have driven it."

Analyst hails Coach Prime's QB dilemma

Last season, Shedeur Sanders tallied 4,134 passing yards resulting in 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding -50 rushing yards resulting in four touchdowns.

On the other hand, Kaidon Salter registered 1,886 passing yards resulting in 15 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 587 rushing yards resulting in seven touchdowns.

During Wednesday's segment of the "On3" podcast, JD PicKell broke down the reasons why the competition between Salter and Lewis could be a bonus to Coach Prime in the long run.

"You got, it looks to me like two good options at quarterback," PicKell said (0:58). "The other part of this, you sprinkle into these two good options the element of competition and that's good for a number of reasons. One, the right guy will win the job 'cause they will respond to the pressure the correct way.

"Second, you would hope that the competition is able to bring out the best in both of these guys. So, even if it's Kaidon Salter finishing second, or Julian Lewis finishing second, they got that much better because of that."

The job of stepping into the shoes left by Shedeur Sanders will be a huge one for whichever quarterback emerges on top and will likely dictate whether Coach Prime's improving Colorado Buffaloes keep up the momentum gained from last season.