Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders recently committed a recruiting violation while on a live-streamed show, commenting on the recruitment and ensuing commitment of five-star quarterback Juju Lewis.
Add it to the list of recruiting violations in recent years, leaving the door open to a potential NCAA-imposed penalty that could affect the 2025 season.
Coach Prime, 5-Star QB Recruit Reportedly Violated NCAA Rules, Potentially Impacting 2025 Season
While on a Buffaloes weekly coaching show in November, Sanders committed a recruiting violation for mentioning a soon-to-be-signed recruit’s name.
That recruit was five-star QB Julian “Juju” Lewis, the hopeful signal-caller of the future for the Buffaloes.
The show was live-streamed; according to a school representative, “The content will no longer be live-streamed. External relations will therefore be able to review and edit content that could be construed as impermissible publicity of (recruits).”
The violation was minor, and Colorado was quick to self-report the violation and self-impose a penalty. Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report reported the penalty.
“Colorado docked itself four recruiting-person days in spring 2025 and had Sanders undergo further education surrounding recruiting rules.”
Per NCAA rules, coaches are not permitted to speak on recruits prior to the moment those players are signed at the school. It is considered a minor offense unless viewed as an ongoing pattern.
The Buffaloes did self-report five recruiting penalties across the 2023-24 season. They were minor, including spending $7 more than the allotted $60 limit for entertainment provided to recruits. Another occurred when a vacationing Buffaloes signee interacted with a current member of the team.
These are extremely minor violations, but they’ve added up. According to Rapp, Colorado has reported as many as 17 minor recruiting violations since Sanders was hired in December 2022.
Colorado has followed through with self-imposed penalties and underwent further education on the rules, making it unlikely it would result in missed games for Coach Prime — but the door is left open for further punishment by the NCAA.
Regarding the 2025 season, the QB position should be a particular strength for the Buffaloes following the departure of starter Shedeur Sanders.
Fifth-year transfer Kaidon Salter, previously an accomplished three-year starter for the Liberty Flames, is a candidate to replace Sanders. The other is Lewis, the talented five-star recruit from Carrollton, Georgia.
Lewis threw for over 10,000 yards in high school and will be one of the most highly anticipated recruits in program history — he’s expected to compete with Salter for the starting position.
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Sanders was clearly excited to secure the prized recruit, commenting on his commitment a month early resulting in the self-reported violation.
The Buffaloes are expected to be in the mix to compete for a Big 12 championship in 2025, so any further distraction — by the NCAA or self-imposed — could hurt their chances.
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