Tag: Julian Lewis

Julian Lewis draws comparison to recent Heisman Trophy winner

Do you agree with the comparison?

On Thursday, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney chose 10 five-star prospects in the 2025 recruiting class and compared each to a notable NFL player. Recent Colorado football quarterback signee Julian “JuJu” Lewis made the list, drawing a comparison to Carolina Panthers signal-caller Bryce Young.

Young is a former five-star prospect who played his college football at Alabama under legendary Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban. As a sophomore in 2021, Young threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.

After three seasons at Alabama, Young was selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2023 NFL draft.

Here’s what Gorney wrote on comparing Lewis to Young:

This is a comparison I’ve liked for many years since Lewis was a young pup but he’s actually grown taller than Bryce Young even though they have similar playing styles. What was always so special about Young through his high school and college days and now with the Carolina Panthers is that he anticipated so well and seemed to know how everything was going to happen before it did.

Lewis is very similar in that sense as if he can see the chessboard pieces moving on the field and then he has the arm talent to deliver the ball where it needs to be. He could be Shedeur Sanders’ replacement on Day 1.

Lewis, a product of Carrollton High School in Georgia, is currently in Boulder as an early enrollee. He’ll compete with Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter for Colorado’s starting quarterback job.

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Colorado self-reports minor recruiting violation in connection to Julian Lewis

Colorado was hit with a minor recruiting violation stemming from an incident in November

As detailed in documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the Colorado Buffaloes were hit with a minor recruiting violation in connection to recent class of 2025 quarterback signee Julian “JuJu” Lewis.

The incident occurred in November when CU football head coach Deion Sanders mistakingly mentioned Lewis during an episode of his weekly coaches show with host Mark Johnson. Because Lewis hadn’t signed with the Buffs yet, Coach Prime’s public mention of his new quarterback commit violated an NCAA rule.

Colorado removed the show from its YouTube channel and self-reported the incident to the NCAA. According to Brent Schrotenboer of USA TODAY Sports, Colorado imposed “additional rules education” for Coach Prime and reduced its number of in-person recruiting days for the spring 2025 contact period by four.

Lewis ultimately signed with the Buffs on Dec. 4 and was in San Antonio for CU’s bowl game against BYU later that month. The former five-star (Rivals) prospect is expected to compete with Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter for Colorado’s starting quarterback job next season.

Per Schrotenboer, Colorado self-reported at least five other minor violations.

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State champion QB plans to visit Auburn this weekend

Travis Burgess, a state-championship-winning quarterback, is set to visit Auburn this weekend.

Auburn football will host several key 2026 recruits as part of “junior day” on the Plains this weekend. Among those will be a state-champion quarterback from the Peach State.

[autotag]Travis Burgess[/autotag], a three-star quarterback from Loganville, Georgia, will visit Auburn this weekend for its junior day festivities. Burgess recently led the Grayson High School Rams to the GHSA Class 6A state championship over Colorado signee [autotag]Julian Lewis[/autotag] and the Carrollton Trojans.

In a recent interview with Steve Wiltfong of On3, Burgess explained what he is excited to experience this weekend in Auburn.

“Being able to get on campus and get a personal relationship with Coach Freeze and (Kent) Austin,” Burgess said in a recent interview with On3. “Experience what it would be like to play for the Tigers with the coaching staff, the current players, and other top athletes visiting as well. Also just see how the community is and if it’s a fit for me on a day-to-day basis.”

Although a member of the 2026 class, Burgess has yet to receive a full evaluation by key organizations such as On3 and 247Sports. However, the 6-5 signal caller is a three-star-rated quarterback by ESPN and Rivals. By Rivals’ rankings, he is the No. 14 quarterback in the nation from the 2026 class.

He holds offers from Auburn, Pittsburgh, Boston College, and Arizona State, with Auburn holding the early advantage with an 83% chance to sign him according to On3’s recruiting prediction machine.

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New Colorado quarterback Kaidon Salter embracing competition with Julian Lewis

Who do you want starting at QB next season?

While some Colorado football fans scratched their heads when the Buffs acquired Liberty transfer quarterback Kaidon Salter with highly-touted incoming freshman Julian Lewis already coming in, the former Flame took to local Dallas news station WFAA on Saturday to clear the air.

“No promises, all competition, and I’m willing to come in and compete,” Salter said of how Colorado recruited him. “JuJu (Lewis), he’s a younger guy of course, so they wanted somebody in the room that can mentor him and help him come into college and feel comfortable. They felt that I was that guy that can do that.”

Salter also revealed that he had previously met Lewis at Elite 11, a camp for high school quarterbacks. With four college seasons under his belt, Salter had high praise for the incoming freshman but is ready to compete for CU’s starting QB job.

“(He’s) one of the best quarterbacks in his class,” Salter mentioned. “It’s all love over there, and it’ll be a great competition between us.”

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Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig praises Colorado’s early enrollees

Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig is optimistic about Colorado’s future

Safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig had high praise for the recent Colorado football signees who practiced with the Buffs leading up to Saturday’s loss to BYU in the Alamo Bowl.

“It’s been wonderful seeing the guys come in with a hunger,” Silmon-Craig said following the Alamo Bowl. “They all caught on with how we get things done… These guys are very quiet, just trying to listen and learn. I’m going to be so happy for these guys coming in, they’re going to do some big things.”

Nine class of 2025 signees and one transfer quarterback joined the Buffs for the Alamo Bowl, with offensive guard Chauncey Gooden and defensive end Alexander McPherson making huge first impressions. Both of the Buffs’ new quarterbacks, Liberty Flames transfer Kaidon Salter and incoming freshman Julian Lewis, were among the others.

With Silmon-Craig looking to crack an NFL roster after a stellar collegiate career with Jackson State and Colorado, much will be asked of the Buffaloes’ newbies.

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Julian Lewis to join Colorado’s scout team for pre-Alamo Bowl practices

Coach Prime is throwing his young QB into the fire

The Colorado Buffaloes are preparing for their first bowl game in four years and are using every available body to prepare themselves for the BYU Cougars.

During this week’s episode of “Coach Prime’s Playbook,” Romi Bean of CBS Colorado asked Buffs head coach Deion Sanders about recent class of 2025 signee Julian “JuJu” Lewis, and Coach Prime said he wants to see what his young quarterback can do on Colorado’s scout team. Lewis wrapped up his Carrollton High School career earlier this week and will now join the Buffs as they prepare for the Alamo Bowl, according to Coach Prime.

Coach Prime spoke on the importance of Lewis joining Colorado’s scout team ahead of next week’s matchup with BYU:

“Tremendous. Not only that, we are going to put his butt on that scout team and let him run against the 1s (starters),” Sanders told Bean. “We’re going to see if you flinch. We’re gonna see what you got. That young man (Lewis) is phenomenal, what he’s done in high school football. The thing people forget — yeah, he’s a really good quarterback, he has all the intangibles — the kid is a winner. He’s won all his life. That’s what we love about him.”

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Coach Prime compares recent Colorado signee Julian Lewis to Shedeur Sanders

Deion Sanders sees a lot of similarities between Julian Lewis and Shedeur Sanders

College football head coaches are often creatures of habit. When they see something that works for them, they want to replicate it. That helps explain why Colorado head coach Deion Sanders targeted recent signee Julian “JuJu” Lewis to replace Shedeur Sanders at quarterback.

Shedeur has propelled CU’s rebuild forward, rewriting the record books in two seasons with the Buffs. Now, Coach Prime has landed his next quarterback in Lewis, whose pinpoint accuracy has shades of Shedeur’s.

While meeting with the media on Tuesday, Coach Prime gave his thoughts on Lewis and the talent he brings to Boulder:

“Smart coaches at this level understand what has worked for them and they try their best to replicate that. I saw a lot of similarities between the way Julian’s life has been structured and Shedeur’s,” Coach Prime said. “Some of the similarities are unbelievable. That kid right there is everything that we desire in a quarterback. He’s smart, he can make every throw but most of all, he’s a winner.”

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Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis officially signs with the Colorado Buffaloes

JuJu Lewis has made things official with the Buffs

The Colorado football program made history during the first day of the early signing period as class of 2025 quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis put pen to paper. While his rating varies from four to five stars depending on the recruiting outlet, Lewis is the highest-rated QB to ever sign with the Buffs.

According to Rivals, Lewis is also the highest-rated high school signee in Colorado history. The 6-foot-1, 186-pound QB was originally committed to the USC Trojans before head coach Deion Sanders and his staff flipped his pledge last month.

Here’s what Lewis had to say about Colorado (h/t On3):

“What Coach Prime has been able to build in two seasons can’t be denied,” Lewis told On3 in a statement. “I’ve had a chance to get to know him and believe that he can further develop me into the player and person that I want to be. Coach (Pat) Shurmur has been an NFL offensive coordinator and head coach, so he understands exactly what’s needed at the next level. Coach Prime is going to play the best player, whether it’s a freshman or a walk-on.”

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Julian Lewis chooses Colorado after decommitting from USC

USC and Colorado are no longer in the same conference, but the two programs will be compared for the next several years because of their quarterbacks.

The Julian Lewis story has finally run its course, at least for now. Lewis, the five-star prospect who recently decommitted from USC, chose Colorado over Indiana and Georgia. He did so on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, as College Sports Wire noted:

The decision was largely unsurprising. Lewis had taken multiple visits to Colorado recently as well as a trip to Indiana. After he decommitted from the Trojans, he received several projections to flip to the Buffaloes.

The Carrolton, Georgia, prospect ranks as the No. 35 player nationally and No. 6 quarterback in the 2025 cycle. He was previously a five-star prospect but now sits just outside of that group, and in the quarterback rankings, he’s one spot behind Husan Longstreet, who flipped from Texas A&M to USC the same day Lewis decommitted from the Trojans.

USC was able to rebound from Lewis’s decommitment with the Longstreet flip, as College Sports Wire pointed out. Let the Lewis-versus-Longstreet comparisons begin in Boulder and Los Angeles.

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Why Colorado fans should be ecstatic about landing Julian Lewis

Julian Lewis is a massive get for Coach Prime and the surging CU Buffs

On Thursday, the Colorado Buffaloes made their big splash of the 2025 recruiting class by landing highly-ranked quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis’ commitment. And while CU football fans came together over the summer to land the five-star prospect through a personalized burger from “The Sink” restaurant and the “#WeWantJuJu” movement, the Boulder faithful did so for good reason.

Lewis, a native of Carrollton, Georgia, displays traits similar to current Colorado starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders, especially in how he orchestrates the offense. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, the Carrollton High School senior doesn’t jump off the page for his physical traits, but his poise and accuracy certainly do. The former USC Trojans commit displays refined footwork and can attack opposing coverages well for his age.

At the high school level, “JuJu” was a finalist for the Gatorade National Player of the Year award in 2023 with 48 touchdowns to just two interceptions as a sophomore before reclassifying to become a 2025 prospect. He garnered comparisons to current NFL quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields and received offers from the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs and several other Power Four programs.

Lewis appears to be in “perfect timing” with Sanders’ plans to enter the NFL draft, fitting as a near-perfect candidate for Colorado to pass the baton at the quarterback position.

With Lewis officially on board, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders now owns 11 class of 2025 commits.

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