Every offseason in recent years, the NCAA transfer portal is loaded with guys like Ryan Staub: quarterbacks looking for an opportunity they weren’t otherwise getting.
Staub never joined them in the portal, however.
“To be honest, I don’t know (why),” Colorado’s sophomore quarterback said. “I kind of fell in love with the process. I really enjoyed being here. I enjoyed being in this building, under our coach. … I stuck my head down and just decided to keep working, and I got rewarded for that.”
The reward was Saturday, as he came off the bench and starred in Colorado’s 31-7 rout of Delaware at Folsom Field.
The third quarterback to enter the game for the Buffs, he went 7-for-10 for 157 yards and two touchdowns, while leading them to the end zone three times.
“The talk of the town right now is Stauby and I love him,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said. “I appreciate him.
“He balled out so much, the whole student section was chanting his name. I said, ‘You got to be kidding me. Staub, they’re chanting your darn name back there.’ So thatap a blessing for me.”
Until Friday, Staub didn’t even think he’d be playing, let alone starring.
After playing behind star Shedeur Sanders as the Buffs’ No. 2 quarterback the past two years, Staub entered this season third on the depth chart — behind newcomers Kaidon Salter and JuJu Lewis.
A lot of quarterbacks would have transferred in that situation, but while outsiders viewed this as a two-man race to replace Shedeur – between Salter and Lewis – CU’s staff always believed in Staub.
“Staub and I had become very close, and I appreciate him because of the way he plays the position,” said offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who is in his third season coaching Staub.
Still, Salter won the job in preseason camp.
Last week, in a 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech, Salter, a fifth-year senior transfer from Liberty, played the entire game. He had mixed results, but there was plenty of good in his game that night.
Coach Prime said this past week, however, that Lewis, a five-star recruit in the 2025 class, would get some playing time against Delaware. He never mentioned Staub but late in the week felt compelled to give him time, too.
The plan: Salter would start, followed by Lewis and Staub, with each getting two series.
“I decided that two days ago, and I prayed a lot about it, and I wanted it to tell us its own story,” Coach Prime said. “Instead of me telling the story, I wanted it to tell its own story.”
As the story played out, Salter got the Buffs going, leading them to a 10-0 start. He was 6-for-6 on the first drive, capping it with a 9-yard touchdown run. Lewis struggled in his two possessions, with the Buffs punting both times.
When the fifth possession came up, only 45 seconds remained in the first half and the Buffs were holding on to a 10-7 lead. Staub took over.
“I was just hoping for an opportunity,” Staub said. “To be honest, this whole week I wasn’t really expecting to play, kind of with things how they went. I wasn’t expecting to play. Friday, I kind of got the call and, ‘OK, I might be playing,’ and I was just waiting on an opportunity. Didn’t know it’d be a two-minute drill, and kind of the rest is history.”
Staub was incomplete on his first two passes but then hit a couple of big plays, including a 21-yard strike to DeKalon Taylor for a touchdown just before the half. He added a 71-yard touchdown pass to Sincere Brown early in the third quarter, which turned CU’s three-point lead into a 24-7 advantage. By the time CU went back to Salter, it was a 31-7 lead.
“I love Ryan, I love JuJu, I love Kaidon, I love (Dominiq Ponder); I love them all,” Shurmur said. “When you put them on the field, you’re rooting for them to have success. So with what happened with Staub today, I’m really excited.”
What happens with Staub going forward remains to be seen. Salter is the veteran with the most experience. Lewis, just 17, appears to need more seasoning. But, Staub … “He don’t trip, man,” Coach Prime said.
Next Friday, CU plays at Houston and there will be quarterback questions all week.
“Yeah, I know exactly how I’m gonna handle the quarterback situation,” Coach Prime said. “I’m not gonna say it, but yeah, I’m not lost for direction.”
