Colorado Buffaloes made national headlines earlier this year when they were able to flip five-star QB recruit Julian Lewis from the USC Trojans.
Across all recruiting sites, “JuJu” Lewis is ranked as a top-50 player in the 2025 recruiting class. Rivals has Lewis ranked as the 10th best player in the country and the third best QB.
Lewis’ expectations are already high, but Rivals just furthered those by comparing him to a former Heisman winner.
Who Is Julian Lewis?
Lewis is one of the best players in the 2025 recruiting class. Rivals, On3, and 247sports all rank the signal-caller as a four or five-star prospect.
The young QB played his high school ball in Georgia at Carrollton High School. Lewis had 39 offers on the table before committing to USC in August 2023.
However, Coach Prime was looking for his Shedeur Sanders replacement and continued to pursue Lewis after his USC commitment. In November 2024, Lewis officially announced his choice to flip from USC to Colorado and signed with the Buffs on early national signing day in December.
According to MaxPreps, Lewis threw for 3,798 yards, 48 touchdowns, and seven interceptions his senior season at Carrollton and had career totals of 11,010 yards, 144 TDs, and 21 INTs in three years of starting.
Lewis only stands at 6’1″ but is a pure passer with a strong arm and excellent accuracy. While he isn’t the best runner, he’s mobile in the pocket and can extend plays with his legs.
Expect him to come into Colorado and immediately compete with transfer Kaidon Salter for the starting job.
Rivals Compares Lewis to Bryce Young
On their X page, Rivals posted that their pro comparison for Julian Lewis is Panthers QB Bryce Young.
While it may seem like high praise for a player who hasn’t played a college snap yet, the comparison is spot on.
Rivals isn’t the only site to compare Lewis to Young, either. CFN’s own Will Helms made the same comparison in his breakdown of the recruit.
Lewis, like Young, is a little undersized for the position but has the ability to move in and manipulate the pocket to be a tremendous playmaker.
Both Lewis and Young have elite accuracy and ball placement, which helps them make up for their lack of top-end arm talent.
KEEP READING: Coach Prime’s Potential QB1 Pick Kaidon Salter Takes On Colorado Practice After Shedeur Sanders’ Departure
While the talent is there, it’s important to remember that the scheme Lewis plays in matters a lot, too. So, will Colorado help elevate and develop Lewis the way Alabama elevated and developed Young?
Looking back on Sanders’ career at Colorado, he was asked to make plays from within the pocket, get the ball out of his hands fast, and be accurate. Lewis should fit this system incredibly well and be a great successor to the potential first-round pick.
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