There will be no competition for the Colorado Buffaloes’ starting quarterback job, as Shedeur Sanders has undoubtedly secured that spot. The backup position, however, remains a completely different story altogether.
Ryan Staub performed well throughout spring practices and the spring showcase, but still represents a Casa Bonita cliff dive, in terms of the talent drop-off from Sanders. New walk-on addition Gavin Kuld, will be hoping to help remedy that, as he battles Staub, Colton Allen, and Kasen Weisman for a roster spot, and eventually, the backup job.
https://twitter.com/GKuld/status/1671530211379118080?s=20
Kuld has had to fight and claw to even reach this point. While in high school, he transferred three different times in search of playing time, and he’s now transferred three times at the college level for similar reasons, facing a new battle for the starting job at almost every stop, all resulting in him slowly climbing the mountain from Monterey Peninsula College to the most buzz-filled Power 5 football program in the nation.
He’s more than ready for another battle.
“Some people ended up leaving (the Colorado Buffaloes) and I got blessed with the opportunity to come and I couldn’t pass it up,” Kuld said, via BuffZone’s Brian Howell. “That’s all I ever wanted. I didn’t need anybody to promise anything. I didn’t want to be promised anything because I feel like that takes away a lot of the game. When (CU offensive coordinator Sean Lewis) called me, it was shell shock. Not a lot of people get that opportunity.”
While at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Kuld went 18-for-24 for 72 yards and four interceptions, but he showcased enough of high-end talents on film, for the Colorado Buffaloes to decide they wanted to roll the dice on Kuld.
His strong yet mobile 6-foot-6 frame allows him to maneuver around and outside the pocket, while shaking off the occasional pass-rusher, only to launch a bomb from his back foot that flies perfectly into the outstretched hands of his wide receiver. Not many people have the athletic skill set to pull that off.
Kuld can pull it off, he just hasn’t demonstrated the ability to do it with any level of consistency of reliability. If he can finally piece those elements together in Boulder, he could give Ryan Staub a run for his money.