Much-anticipated quarterback recruit Julian Lewis may well be the future of Colorado Buffaloes football — but for now, he’ll be tested by head coach Deion Sanders to lead the scout offense against the team’s tough defense as they prepare for the Alamo Bowl.
5-Star QB Julian Lewis Practicing With Colorado Buffaloes Ahead of Bowl Game
As the Buffaloes prepare to face the BYU Cougars in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28, a high-profile quarterback recruit will participate in bowl prep practices — and be thrown into the fire against the starting defense.
The quarterback: five-star soon-to-be true freshman “JuJu” Lewis, from Carrollton, GA. Ranked the No. 2 quarterback in the nation for the 2025 class, he threw for 11,010 yards and 144 touchdowns in his three-year high school career.
He did all that despite being reclassified from the 2026 class to the 2025 class. Although Lewis is only 17 years old, Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders isn’t shy about how Lewis will contribute during these December practices.
“We are going to put his butt on that scout team and let him run against the 1s [starters],” Sanders said. “We’re going to see if you flinch. We’re gonna see what you got.”
With the absence of Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the coming years, someone will need to step up and fill that void.
Along with Lewis, Colorado is bringing in Liberty Flames graduate transfer Kaidon Salter, an experienced player at the quarterback position. Salter led the Flames to a 21-4 record during the past two seasons while throwing for nearly 6,000 yards and rushing for over 2,000, scoring 77 total touchdowns in the process.
While Salter is expected to assume the starting position in 2025, it’s his final year of eligibility, meaning it’s going to be Lewis’s time soon enough.
Sanders continued, raving about the five-star’s ability, saying, “That young man 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.”
Case in point: Lewis finished his three-year high school career with a 39-4 record — not too shabby.
Sanders knows something about winning as well. Taking over a 1-11 football team in early 2023, Coach Prime transformed the Buffaloes roster through the transfer portal, achieving a 4-8 record in 2023 before another leap in 2024. Colorado has a chance for a 10-3 season with a win over the Cougars.
The effect Sanders has had on the university can’t be understated. He did that with a key player at the game’s most important position: his son, Shedeur.
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While Lewis gets reps with the team during their December practices, it wouldn’t hurt if he learned some of the things Shedeur does to be successful — it’s all worked, as the Colorado standout is in the conversation for being the first quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
But not before head coach Sanders puts Lewis on the hot seat, facing off against the fifth-best scoring defense in the Big 12.
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