Shedeur Sanders was at the helm of the Colorado Buffaloes’ for their 9-4 record last season. Before that, the program posted a one-victory campaign a year prior before the quarterback and his dad, Deion Sanders, showed up.
Now that Shedeur has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, Coach Prime’s main concern is finding a replacement for him.
Shedeur Sanders Meets With Ju Ju Lewis
In an effort to replace his son on the field, Coach Prime won the signature of highly-touted prospect Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis. While there are other candidates who could potentially step into Shedeur’s’ shoes, Lewis is expected to be a cornerstone QB for the program in the coming years.
After reveling in Super Bowl festivities, which saw the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22, Shedeur reunited with players from his time at Colorado and had a conversation with Lewis at the practice facility.
🔥 #2 Back in Boulder. A New Look. Catching Up with QB Julian Lewis & The Team
🔄 @DeionSandersJr
📽️ https://t.co/6zfZC3jo4e pic.twitter.com/TC3xrnENGW— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) February 11, 2025
After the Buffaloes’ final game of the season at the Alamo Bowl, Lewis had shared a picture of Sanders’ gear alongside his own.
“You left huge shoes to fill, but I promise to work to leave @CUBuffsFootball even better than I found it. Forever grateful,” Lewis wrote.
You left huge shoes to fill, but I promise to work to leave @CUBuffsFootball even better than I found it.
Forever grateful 🙏🏽 #TrustGod #TrustTheProcess pic.twitter.com/NwYGmz3wmD— Julian "Ju Ju" Lewis QB (@JulianLewis10) December 29, 2024
Shedeur threw for 4,134 yards, completing 74.0% of his passes for 37 touchdowns in his 2024 campaign, so he knows a thing or two about winning. In January, he even mentioned how he plans to mentor Lewis on his podcast.
“Just being there for him. You know any question he has, I’m able to answer for him,” the NFL Draft prospect said.
Lewis is not in Boulder without competition, as Liberty Flames transfer Kaidon Salter said in an interview with “WFAA” in January:
“No promises, all competition, and I’m willing to come in and compete. Ju Ju, 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. (He’s) one of the best quarterbacks in his class. It’s all love over there, and it’ll be a great competition between us.”
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Lewis, a 6’0″ quarterback from Carrollton High School in Georgia, reclassified to the 2025 class, after visiting Colorado in June.
He decommitted from USC for 2026. During his three years of high school, he threw for 11,010 yards, 144 touchdowns, and completed 736 passes out of 1,065 attempts.
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