Hello!  Ryan Staub!  Welcome to the Black and Gold……(again)…..16 Things You Need to Know About CU’s New (Old) Quarterback

BuffsBlog has a tradition of making a Hello! post for all new recruits/commits to the football program.  Given the rather unique path of CU’s (former?) 3^rd string QB, we’ve decided to take a staub at a Hello! post for CU’s new (old) quarterback, Ryan Staub.  

A couple of preliminary matters before we jump in.

First, there seems to be a lot of confusion about who #16 is and where he comes from, so we’re going to give you the personal scoop on Staub today before turning to more of the Xs and Os (and predicting who the starting QB will be on Friday) later this week.  This post is not – I repeat is not – a post advocating for CU’s coaches to start/not start Staub going forward.  

Second, a quick note to (A) the guys in Section 106 that booed Staub as soon as he walked onto the field, and (B) the keyboard warriors that flooded social media attacking Staub as soon as he took his first snap: don’t be those guys.  Do better.

And third, to answer some questions:

Do we know if he’ll start on Friday against Houston?  No.

Do we know if he’s CU’s best QB at this point?  No.

Do we know whether he’s earned more playing time?  Yes.  

16 Things You Ought to Know About Ryan Staub

1. When Ryan Staub, CU’s third string QB, entered the game on Saturday against Delaware, he ignited a moribund offense.   He completed 7 of 10 passes for 157 yards and 2 TDs in CU’s 31-7 win, a breakout performance.   He entered the field with just 46 seconds left in the first half and orchestrated a 75-yard scoring drive in under a minute before halftime. Then, he opened the 3rd quarter with a 71-yard bomb to Sincere Brown that put the game out of reach for Delaware.
2. Staub finished the Delaware game with a 267.9 quarterback rating for the game, which ranks among the best single game performances in college football over the last 3 years. Seriously, read that again.
3. Staub and Salter both topped 100 yards passing against Delaware, the first time a CU quarterback duo has done that in nearly a decade. The last time that happened? November 28, 2015 —- when Cade Apsay (145) and Jordan Gehrke (113) did so vs Utah. I didn’t remember that Cade Apsay and Jordan Gehrke were CU quarterbacks.
4. Now, let’s hit the time machine. Ryan Staub started his football obsession as a ball boy at West Ranch High School (Valencia, CA) when he was 11-years old.  He’s been a football junkie ever since. 
5. Staub led that same high school, West Ranch High School, to its first-ever Foothills League title in 2022.  This was an unprecedented achievement for the high school, which had never won a league title before.  To put it mildly, West Ranch is not a traditional high school power.  They’ve stunk. In the 3 years since Staub graduated from West Ranch, the school has won fewer than 50% of its games.
6. Staub was named Foothills League MVP his senior year after putting up eye popping stats at West Ranch. Over 2 seasons at West Ranch, Staub threw for 5,422 yards and 58 touchdowns.  His senior year, he threw for 3,0008 passing yards and 37 TDs with only 5 interceptions, showcasing great passing accuracy with over a 7:1 TD to interception ratio. 
7. Despite being known primarily as a passer, Staub demonstrated sneaky athleticism in high school, rushing for 687 yards and 10 TDs.  His senior year included 2 runs of over 70 yards, showing that he’s not just a pocket passer. His high school football coach, Chris Varner, noted that Staub was one of the 3 strongest players on West Ranch’s team, and that his leg strength helped him move the pile on QB running players. Varner noted that Staub “squats like an animal.”
8. Staub graduated from high school with a 4.08 GPA.   His favorite class? AP Psychology.
9. Staub’s football role model is Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield.   His “life” role model is his father, Craig.
10. Staub was #6 at West Ranch. Because that number wasn’t available when he joined the Buffs, Staub chose #16.
11.  Coming out of high school, Staub was ranked the #36 QB nationally on the 247 composite. He committed to Karl Dorrell and the Buffs as a high school junior on January 31, 2022 over offers from SMU, Arizona, USF, Fresno State and Nevada. During Staub’s senior year of high school, Colorado struggled through a 1-11 campaign that was uglier than a Corndog cheerleader. Still, Staub did not back away from his commitment and eventually signed with CU in February 2023.
12. When Deion Sanders arrived in December 2022, he famously told CU’s players and recruits that he was “bringing his own luggage” and then proceeded to remake the roster. Many committed recruits were cut loose during that transition (including current Arizona State star WB Jordyn Tyson), but Staub was one of the few pre-Sanders recruits that the new staff decided to keep on board. In fact, Staub has said that the phone call he received from Sanders on December 12, 2022, where Sanders confirmed that he wanted Staub in the class and that Sanders was impressed with his ability, was a huge relief after a few days of silence. Staub officially signed his LOI in February 2023.
13. Immediately after taking the CU job, Deion Sanders announced that Shedeur would transfer from Jackson State and presumably be the new starting quarterback. Staub, a true freshman, welcomed the challenge and has said that he learned “a ton” from watching Shedeur over the last 2 years. Did you notice Staub’s QB celebration after his TD pass to Sincere Brown? Yep — Shedeur Sanders’ Watch Flex.
14. Staub started one game his freshman year in 2023 (Shedeur Sanders was injured and didn’t play in the game). In a tough road environment against a top 15 ranked Utah Utes team, Staub threw for 195 yards and a TD in a narrow 23-17 loss. Staub ended up appearing in 4 games in 2023.
15. After his freshman year, Staub became a savvy veteran presence in CU’s quarterback room. Sources have told me that the battle between JuJu Lewis and Kaidon Salter for the starting job never drove a wedge between the two of them, in large part because Ryan Staub helped mentor both of them and served as a facilitator in their relationship. He’s been a behind-the-scenes leader and asset that isn’t readily observable to fans.
16. By the fall of 2025, Staub is in his 3rd year working in CU’s offense. Staub has been in Shurmur’s system longer than any QB on the roster, potentially giving him a mastery of the playbook that comes with time.

Stay tuned to BuffsBlog for more on the Xs and Os behind CU’s new QB battle. In the meantime, if you’re looking to stick around the BuffsBlog blogosphere, check out our report on a key change to football’s calendar that will impact CU more than most college football programs:

Unverified Veracity is Changing How CU Shapes its Roster