Salter arrives in Boulder with experience and production. At Liberty, he was the Conference USA Player of the Year, passing for over 2,700 yards and rushing for 700 more in 2023. He proved he could win games in multiple ways, whether extending plays with improvisation or using his mobility as a weapon in tight moments. That dual-threat reputation is what first caught Sanders’ attention. Salter is not walking in as a project. He is stepping in as a quarterback who has already carried the weight of expectation before. The film does not lie. Salter’s natural instincts in unscripted plays jump off the tape. His ability to create when a play breaks down separates him from many quarterbacks. Pair that with the presence of Pat Shurmur, whose NFL experience brings stability and pro-style development, and Salter enters a system designed to maximize his strengths. For the first time in his career, he will be surrounded by this level of structure and depth. His passing ability is overlooked nationally, but anyone studying his tape can see it: timing, accuracy, and the confidence to throw into windows that other quarterbacks will not. Add the rushing threat, and suddenly Colorado’s offense becomes layered and unpredictable. Salter does not have to be a one-man show; he has a full array of weapons at his disposal. and a reinforced backfield provide more than enough firepower. The trenches, often CU’s weakness in the past, are more solid than last season, giving Salter the comfort to run the offense fluidly. Comfort, repetition, and fluidity are the keys. Sanders’ team is filled with transfers and new faces, but the chemistry is building. When this group gels, they do not have a ceiling. Salter’s mobility, confidence, and ability to adjust to defenses in real time gives CU an advantage that is hard to scheme against. He does not turn the ball over recklessly, he has been in big games before, and he is playing with a staff that can guide him to even higher levels. The Big 12 spotlight only magnifies this story. Colorado’s return to the league comes with skepticism. National media outlets have largely predicted a middle-of-the-pack finish. That narrative ignores the raw talent Sanders has assembled and the quarterback now leading it. Salter has a chance to shift the conversation. Against defenses like Utah and Kansas State, his improvisation will be tested. Against high-scoring teams like Texas Tech, his ability to keep pace will matter. Each week is a proving ground, not just for him but for CU’s credibility in a league known for balance and depth. So here is the bold call: Colorado will have the highest-producing offense in the Big 12 this season. Not because of hype, not because of Sanders’ personality, but because of what Salter brings to this offense. His ability to create, paired with a deeper roster than Colorado has seen in years, makes the Buffaloes dangerous in a way most analysts have not accounted for. That does not mean playoff contention or conference dominance overnight. But what it does mean is that the national media is about to get a wake-up call. Kaidon Salter is not just filling a position, he is redefining what Colorado’s offense can be. And by the time the season is underway, it will be impossible to deny.