Just 13 months ago, JuJu Lewis sat and listened in Manhattan Beach, Calif., as Kaidon Salter told his story at the Elite 11 Finals.

“They give the counselors time to talk about their past and stuff, so I heard about everything that has happened with him,” Lewis, 17, said this week at Big 12 media days in Frisco, Texas.

Neither one had any idea they would soon be teammates competing for the same job, but when Colorado opens preseason camp later this month, the former counselor and prospect — separated by about 4 1/2 years in age — will battle to be the Buffaloes’ starting quarterback.

“It was nothing that we had planned or anything,” Salter, 22, said.

“It all worked out crazy, and now that we’re both on the same team, competing for the spot, it’s truly an honor and a blessing from God just to be able to be competing against such a great quarterback.”

At the Elite 11 Finals — the top competition for high school quarterbacks — in June of 2024, there was never a thought that Lewis and Salter would ever be teammates, or that either would land in Boulder.

Salter was one of four veteran college quarterbacks on hand as counselors, along with Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and USC’s Miller Moss.

An established star at Liberty, it was a return to Elite 11 for Salter, who competed there in 2020, before his senior year at Cedar Hill (Texas) High School. That 2020 group included three players who would be top-10 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft: Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears), Drake Maye (New England Patriots) and JJ McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings).

“It was amazing just to give back,” Salter said of being a counselor last year. “I knew exactly what it took to get to where I’m at, so I just wanted to give knowledge to the younger guys who already was either committed or was considering different schools or different decisions that they have going on at the time.”

Salter had been the MVP of Conference USA in 2023, throwing for 2,876 yards and 32 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,089 yards and 12 touchdowns. Lewis was impressed when hearing about Salter’s success.

“He had a crazy season the year before,” Lewis said. “I heard his story. Of course they told me about him. A 1,000-yard rusher as a quarterback is ridiculous.”

Lewis, meanwhile, was one of the young guys trying to figure out his future.

He was entering his junior season at Carrollton (Ga.) High School but had already announced he would graduate early to be a part of the 2025 class instead of 2026.

By the time he got to Elite 11, Lewis had already been committed to USC for about 10 months. He was being pursued by CU and head coach Deion Sanders, however, and actually took an official visit to Boulder the day after the three-day Elite 11 competition.

“Most definitely I remember him,” Salter said, although the two QBs didn’t get to know each other well at Elite 11.

“He was one of the most standout quarterbacks there. … He was lighting it up.”

Last fall, Lewis shined for Carrollton, putting up crazy numbers and lifting his team to a state title game appearance. Salter didn’t have as good of a year as he did in 2023 but still led the Liberty Flames to an 8-4 season.

In Boulder, Shedeur Sanders was in the midst of a sensational senior season for the Buffs. He shattered numerous CU records, won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was named Big 12 offensive player of the year after leading CU to a 9-4 record.

CU needed a new quarterback for 2025, though, and on Nov. 21, its pursuit of Lewis paid off. He flipped his 15-month commitment to USC over to CU, signing his letter of intent Dec. 4.

Two weeks later, Salter, who had put his name into the transfer portal, decided to play his final season in Boulder and compete with Lewis.

Both joined CU at the Alamo Bowl in December and have been working together since January.

“I love him to death,” Lewis said before smiling and joking about Salter’s age. “He’s really ‘Unc’, though. He’s definitely ‘Unc.’”

Salter smiled when he said of Lewis, “He’s very mature, but he also has his ‘I’m 17’ moments in the locker room when he wants to play too much.”

Both quarterbacks are competitive and confident, and they share respect for each other.

“We definitely get along well, and the (quarterback) room has been super healthy,” Lewis said.

Salter said both players understand it’ll be Coach Prime and the CU staff deciding who will be on the field, so they’re enjoying the competition and their bond as they prep for the season.

“He’s learning faster than I did when I was a freshman,” Salter said. “It’s been a pleasure to just compete against him and doing everything right. We’re helping each other. I’m the big bro. We’ve built that big bro, little bro bond already in six months. JuJu is very funny, so much personality. He makes it fun every day.”