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For the Colorado football team to have a breakout season in its return to the Big 12 this year, much is riding on the right arm of quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
For the future of the CU football team, however, much is riding on the guy who replaces Sanders at some point.
Projected by some as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Sanders is heading into his final season of college football and a year from now the Buffaloes will have a new starting quarterback.
The next guy could be Julian “JuJu” Lewis, a five-star recruit from Carrollton (Ga.) High School who is currently committed to USC, but is being heavily recruited by CU and others.
Lewis headlined a major recruiting weekend for the Buffs from June 21-23. The weekend included several fans showing up on campus with signs to welcome him and other recruits to Boulder. The Sink named a burger after him, calling it “Juju’s Precision Pass Burger.”
Lewis also met super fan Peggy Coppom, and the hashtag #WeWantJuJu has become a popular one with CU fans.
“It’s a blessing to be in this position,” Lewis said in an interview with BuffZone. “I appreciate the love they showed during the visit.”
Although Lewis has been verbally committed to USC since Aug. 22, 2023, he has certainly been impressed by the Buffs, who are led by head coach Deion Sanders.
Lewis took an unofficial visit to CU in January before returning last month.
“The biggest difference (from January) is we all know each other better,” Lewis said. “Coach Prime isn’t the kind of person to tell you what you want to hear. Coach Pat (Shurmur) isn’t a recruiter, either. He comes from the NFL, so that’s probably the biggest difference.”
Originally slated to graduate from high school in 2026, Lewis didn’t have CU among his top eight teams a year ago. That group included USC, Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oregon and Texas A&M.
In January, however, he made the decision to reclassify to the 2025 class and that’s when CU began its recruiting push.
“Schools started asking me to (reclassify) and then my dad and I started talking about it,” Lewis said. “We talked to my trainers and my high school coach, Joey King, about it. Everyone said I was ready, so we decided to do it.”
Although he’s young, Lewis has displayed elite talent since he got to Carrollton. As a freshman, he threw for 4,118 yards, 48 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. As a sophomore, in 152 fewer attempts, he threw for 3,094 yards, 48 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
In addition to starring at Carrollton, Lewis shined at the Elite 11 finals last month in Los Angeles. The Elite 11 brings the top quarterbacks in the country together for a competition.
“It was a good opportunity to see and connect with other guys,” Lewis said. “We’ve formed a nice little group from that experience.”
The recruiting experience has been busy, too. Lewis has more than three dozen scholarship offers and, in addition to CU, he’s taken official visits to Auburn, Indiana and USC in recent weeks.
“There are a lot of reasons to take visits,” he said of why he’s looking at other schools while verbally committed to USC. “I can’t really say it’s one thing. I’ve learned a lot about myself over this time and seeing more schools allows you to not have so many questions about what could’ve been after signing day.
“(The recruiting process) is a blessing. I’m glad it’s coming to an end, though, for sure.”
Where he ultimately lands has yet to be determined. Lewis said, “I don’t know when I’ll shut it down fully yet. When I know, everyone else will know.”
There’s no question, however, that CU has made a good impression.
“Boulder is a really nice city,” Lewis said. “I haven’t seen a lot of campus, but what I have seen looks good. It’s the type of place that offers a lot to see and do in the offseason.”
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