**MANHATTAN, Kansas** — This season didn’t turn out like Kaidon Salter had hoped when he signed with Colorado last winter. The fifth-year senior quarterback was grateful, however, for one last opportunity to play on Saturday.
Salter was one of several Buffaloes to play his final college football game in a 24-14 loss to Kansas State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
“I mean, yeah, it was good,” he said of the opportunity. “This was my last collegiate game with me being a fifth-year senior, and it could also be my last game ever playing football again. So just being able to get the opportunity was amazing.”
A transfer from Liberty University, where he was the starting quarterback for the past 2½ years and was named Conference USA Most Valuable Player in 2023, Salter had a rocky season with the Buffs.
On Saturday, he completed 14-of-25 passes for 172 yards and threw an interception. He finished the year completing 62.3% of his passes for 1,414 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while also rushing for 356 yards and five scores.
Salter was benched twice during the season, including during the first half of a 52-17 loss to Arizona on November 1. Saturday marked his first action since then, as freshman JuJu Lewis had taken over the offense.
Head coach Deion Sanders made the decision to sit Lewis on Saturday so that he could redshirt, putting Salter back in the lineup.
“Being that senior on the team, I just know that I always take those mental reps whenever I am sitting around, or whatever the case may be,” Salter said. “Just continue watching film and preparing for the moment. At any moment, things can change.”
They changed quite a bit this year, as Colorado had three different starting quarterbacks. Salter started nine games, Lewis started two, and Ryan Staub started one.
Salter admitted it was a challenge all year with an unsettled quarterback room.
“Nobody really knew who that guy was, from spring ball to now, but I feel like in the quarterback room we’ve all spoken out to have that leader coming out of us to a lot of different groups,” he said. “It was a lot of confusion in our room, but I’m sure next year they’ll be way better with it.”
Salter’s inconsistent play was a significant reason for the quarterback confusion this season, but he was glad to finish his career with another start.
All in all, it was a solid college career for Salter, who threw for 7,301 yards and 66 touchdowns and ran for 2,369 yards and 26 touchdowns during his time at Colorado.
“Football, you know, it’s going to end one day, and you just always got to have that plan for life after football,” he said. “I’ve got a very supportive family and a great circle around me to where we’ve already been building. Me, I made a few NIL bucks to keep around for me to start things up and to just invest, so I feel like my life after football plan is set. I’m just ready to go, whether it’s continuing playing to the next level, or if I gotta come out and be that grown man and just that regular person.”
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### Emotional Finish for Jeremiah Brown
Like Salter, linebacker Jeremiah Brown also closed his college career on Saturday. Brown led the Buffs with eight tackles, putting the finishing touches on his best season at Colorado.
Brown played two seasons at Jackson State before spending the past three years with the Buffs.
“A lot,” he said when asked how much he’ll miss college football. “I was in there getting emotional with the guys because this is all I’ve known since first grade: football, team.
“Being around those group of guys, the social media attention that we get, the love that we get in Boulder, you’ll just never have that again. So I’m just appreciative for the journey and the guys that I’ve been through it with.”
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### Strong Finish for Omarion Miller
Receiver Omarion Miller closed his junior year by catching seven passes for 120 yards, including a 43-yard catch that helped set up one touchdown and a 38-yard reception that set up another.
Miller finished the season with 44 catches for 807 yards and eight touchdowns, leading the Buffaloes in all three categories.
It’s just the 11th time in CU history that a player has posted at least 40 catches, 800 yards, and eight touchdowns in a single season.
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### Injuries and Absences
Left tackle Jordan Seaton missed his third consecutive game with a leg injury. The sophomore had started all 13 games during the 2024 season and the first nine games this year before getting injured and sitting out the last three.
In addition to Seaton, Colorado played without receiver Joseph Williams, right tackle Larry Johnson III, cornerback DJ McKinney, and safety Carter Stoutmire, among others.
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### Notable Highlights
Despite having his only field goal attempt blocked, Alejandro Mata closed his career as Colorado’s all-time leader in field goal percentage, at 81.6% (31-of-38).
Mata also finished sixth in CU history for career field goals made (31), third for most made extra points (111), and ninth for total career points (204).
Micah Welch finished as CU’s leading rusher with 384 yards. This marks the fourth straight year that the Buffs’ top rusher finished with less than 400 yards.
Remarkably, Colorado was not penalized Saturday. It’s the first time since November 26, 2016, against Utah, that the Buffs played a game without incurring any penalties.
https://www.timescall.com/2025/11/29/cu-buffs-kaidon-salter/
