During his two stints as a head coach, with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, Pat Shurmur was often tasked with answering the important questions.
As Colorado’s offensive coordinator, he was more than happy to deflect the main question about the Buffaloes to head coach Deion Sanders.
Will it be senior Kaidon Salter or freshman JuJu Lewis who starts at quarterback when the Buffs host Georgia Tech on Friday at Folsom Field (6 p.m., ESPN) in the season opener?
“We’ve discussed all of this at great length behind the scenes, and we’ll just let it reveal itself,” Shurmur said after CU’s practice on Monday. “And, then if there are any announcements, that’s certainly something that Coach Prime will handle.”
Sanders will be at the podium on Tuesday, and he may or may not reveal his starter for the opener. But, Shurmur said he’s confident either way.
“I feel like they’ve developed quite a bit,” Shurmur said. “I think they’re really fine players to begin with. Both at different stages of their career, but I’m happy with the way that they’ve developed as quarterbacks, but then also within our scheme. So, I look forward to seeing how far we’ve come this Friday.”
Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key told media Sunday that his team is prepared either way.
“First game of the season, you’re always preparing for the unknowns,” he said. “It goes back to what we do and what we do best and becoming really good at that.”
Key said he’s impressed with what Salter did during his time at Liberty the past few years. And, his staff is quite familiar with Lewis, who starred the past three years at Carrollton (Ga.) High School, located about 50 miles from the Tech campus.
“(Lewis) has been really on the scene around here for a lot of years,” Key said.
Colorado offensive lineman Zarian McGill during football practice on Aug. 4, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (CU Athletics)
#### Center battle
Senior transfers Zarian McGill and Cooper Lovelace have been battling for the starting job at center. Shurmur said “we feel like there has been” separation between the two, but didn’t reveal who has won the job, adding, “That’ll reveal itself on game day.”
In videos [posted by Well Off Media](https://www.youtube.com/@welloffmedia), McGill (from Louisiana Tech) appears to have the upper hand, but Lovelace (from Northwestern) has pushed him.
“We like both players a great deal,” Shurmur said. “There’s going to be a scenario this year where we’re going to need more than one. So that’s where that guy that’s not starting has to be ready to roll and then also be ready to play another position.”
#### Defensive depth
CU has had competition at several spots on defense, too, and coordinator Robert Livingston said he feels good about the depth in some key areas.
At linebacker, Martavius French and Reggie Hughes are projected starters, but Livingston said, “You always go with a hot hand. We’ll obviously have two starters that can go out there, and then after that, I feel good about really, four or five, six of them.”
Teon Parks and RJ Johnson have been battling for the No. 2 cornerback spot. Livingston said he’ll trust corners coach Kevin Mathis to play whoever is ready, but praised both for having a good camp.
And, at safety, the Buffs appear to be led by Carter Stoutmire and Tawfiq Byard. However, Byard has been limited in recent practices, opening the door for Ben Finneseth, John Slaughter and Terrance Love.
“I really do feel good about that room,” Livingston said.
#### Notable
Shurmur said sophomore left tackle Jordan Seaton, who started all 13 games last year, has done a great job adapting to potentially four new starters on the line. “He’s developed that camaraderie that you need as a group,” Shurmur said. … Livingston said he hopes the Buffs are deep enough on the edge that players can be fresh by playing only 30-35 snaps a game, rather than 60-65. “I think we got five, six guys that can play for us, and we’ll cycle them through,” he said. “Hopefully our fastball this year is our depth.”