A months-long recruitment took another turn Sunday afternoon as five-star quarterback Julian Lewis finally announced his expected de-commitment from the USC Trojans. Is a traditional power the team to beat for Lewis’ services, or is one of college football’s newer challengers the team to beat?
Recruiting Rumors: Julian Lewis to Colorado?
Lewis committed to Lincoln Riley and USC in Aug. 2023 but maintained contact with several other programs throughout the process. Primarily because of the logistics of cross-country visits, the star QB has visited teams like the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide far more often than USC.
In fact, since committing to the Trojans, Lewis has visited Los Angeles just twice, a late March visit and a June official among a flurry of other, closer, visits.
It’s been evident that Lewis wasn’t likely to stick with his initial commitment to the Trojans, but where he’d go has ebbed and flowed. While a few SEC schools took turns in the lead, two new challengers entered the fold near the beginning of the season, throwing another wrinkle into a strange recruitment.
One of those, Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes, might now be the team to beat, thanks to some serious recruiting efforts from future first-round pick Shedeur Sanders.
Lewis first visited Boulder, Colo., in the summer, but at the time, it wasn’t thought to be all that significant. As the Buffaloes’ play on the field began to match the program’s offseason hype, however, Lewis’ interest became more real.
In recent weeks, industry sources have indicated that the Buffaloes could be the team to beat. Now that he’s officially de-committed from the Trojans, could an official announcement in favor of Coach Prime’s squad come soon?
Julian Lewis’ Recruitment To Take Another Turn?
As the great Lee Corso has said, “Not so fast, my friend.”
The timing of Lewis’ de-commitment gives some pause. While there are still whispers of Colorado’s comfortable position in the driver’s seat, Lewis hasn’t visited there recently. In fact, the de-commitment comes just hours after Lewis was in the stadium of another top-25 team.
The Carrollton High School player visited the in-state Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday to take in their win against the Tennessee Volunteers. And while he’s had logistical issues that have prevented multiple potential visits to Bloomington, Ind., the Indiana Hoosiers remain in the game as well.
This could be a recruitment that truly goes down to the wire, with Early Signing Day occurring the first week of December.
What Julian Lewis to Colorado Would Mean for the Buffaloes
If I had to put in a guess, I’d project Lewis to Colorado, but what would his commitment mean to the Buffaloes?
Lewis is, in my opinion, clearly the top quarterback in the 2025 class. A modern “point guard” type of passer, he has drawn comparisons to guys like Baker Mayfield. At Colorado, he’ll be expected to operate much more “in-phase” than Sanders has done under center in recent seasons.
It’s too early to tell what the quarterback situation will look like in 2024, but it would not surprise me to see Lewis compete for the starting job in 2025 if he ends up in Boulder. His game should translate quickly to the next level, as he’s decisive and accurate.
But while Lewis would be a huge on-field win for the Buffaloes, he’d be an even bigger culture win. I’m one of many people who have tried to take a measured approach to the Deion Sanders show in Boulder. I tried not to get too low on the Buffaloes in Year 1, and while I recognize the success they’ve had this season, I’ve reminded people that the real test is whether Sanders can have success in a post-Shedeur world.
KEEP READING: Top 10 Players in the 2025 College Football Recruiting Class
If Lewis ultimately signs with the Buffaloes, it signals that Colorado is here to stay. It would show that Sanders isn’t just there to prop up his son but that he’s there to win.
If Sanders can continue to recruit at an elite level after the Travis Hunter-Shedeur Sanders era, Colorado will be a contender for years to come.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.