Julian Lewis to Colorado: How good is the 5-star QB?
Luxury quarterback Julian Lewis, the No. 2 recruit in the 2025 ESPN 300, revealed his commitment to Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Program.”
Lewis, who had been devoted to USC given that August 2023, decommitted from Lincoln Riley’s class Sunday. Lewis, from Carrollton, Georgia, had actually recently been on an unofficial see to Georgia and revealed interest in Indiana.Ultimately, it was Sanders & Co. who pulled off another hiring coup. While at Jackson State, Sanders flipped five-star cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter from Florida State in the class of 2022 and did it once again the next cycle, getting cornerback Cormani McClain from Miami. Now, with Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, off to the NFL after this season, the Buffaloes have their QB of the future.Originally the top recruit in the class of 2026, Lewis reclassified to the 2025
class in January, however he has actually been considered a leading recruit given that he was in the eighth grade. Lewis, who is 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, is the second-ranked QB in the class behind Bryce Underwood, an LSU commit.Here’s what to understand about this big recruiting news with under two weeks until the early signing duration starts on Dec. 4:
How excellent is Lewis and who does he compare to in college football?Perhaps the most important components to this dedication are the timing of the portal duration opening combined with Colorado’s success on the field. That might trigger higher-profile, much better players to wish to go to Colorado, which in turn would offer Lewis a better supporting cast as a number of the top targets on offense are departing this team.Editor’s Picks 1 Associated As far as how Lewis will carry out, anticipate to see more timing and decisiveness from Lewis in
offending
planner Pat Shurmur’s offense. Lewis is a rhythm and timing passer with equivalent athletic qualities to Shedeur Sanders but is perhaps not as resourceful when things break down. Lewis is at his finest preparing for and getting the ball out of his hand. He’s a right-handed variation of Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel.– Tom Luginbill What does this mean for Deion’s future at Colorado?On its own, one dedication from a high school player– nevertheless well-regarded he is– isn’t going to impact Sanders’profession path in the slightest.The takeaway here is more about Sanders and his staff’s ability to impart confidence in a player of Lewis ‘quality that he will be around– which is essential.
It is not likely Sanders will ever be able to totally escape speculation about his career, so it’s natural for hiring targets to desire reassurances related to that. In this case, Lewis was comfy enough with what he found out about Sanders’future to commit.CFP Championship Odds However it’s also essential to comprehend that if Sanders’scenarios modification and he leaves for whatever reason, players are free to transfer without penalty. That dynamic lowers the stakes of any dedication in this era.Sanders has actually stated publicly on several celebrations– including this week– that he mores than happy in Stone and has no strategies to leave. There is no reason to question his happiness at Colorado, however it would also be misguided to take any coach’s remarks
about their future at stated value.– Kyle Bonagura What’s next for Colorado’s class?Lewis is only Colorado’s 5th ESPN 300 commitment over the previous two cycles. However none looms larger than this one, both for what Lewis might represent for the future and what his pledge could imply for the remainder of the program’s 2025 class, with the Buffaloes making late-cycle noise.Prior to Lewis’dedication, Colorado had 10 pledges in the 2025 class, all outside the ESPN 300. Sanders landed the leading two members of that group when he flipped UCF defensive tackle promise Christian Hudson and Arizona State pass receiver dedicate Adrian Wilson in the period of 48 hours late last month. But Colorado has been hunting for flips just recently, and Lewis’ dedication must set off some severe recruiting momentum.There’s growing optimism around the program’s possibilities with Ohio State defensive end promise London Merritt( No. 52 in the ESPN 300)and outdoors linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng(No. 81 )after the pair of IMG Academy teammates visited Colorado recently. The Buffaloes hosted 2 more IMG colleagues– four-star Alabama offensive guard promise Michael Carroll and three-star Oklahoma State protective end dedicate Alexander McPherson– in Week 12, too. Meanwhile, top-300 offensive deal with Carde Smith reopened his recruitment Wednesday night when he decommitted from USC after three-plus months in the Trojans’class.With Lewis in the fold, the phase is set for Colorado to end up strong in 2025.– Eli Lederman Deion Sanders might have his QB of the future with his boy, Shedeur( right), off to the NFL. Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire What’s next for the schools that missed out on out?USC rebounded rapidly from Lewis’exit, protecting the flip of four-star
Texas A&M promise Husan Longstreet on Nov. 17, minutes after Lewis’ decommitment ended up being authorities. Expect the Trojans to stay active in looking for offending linemen following Smith’s decommitment, and USC might still add a major promise on defense on Dec. 4 as one of four finalists for five-star protective end Jahkeem Stewart, No. 11 in the ESPN 300. Georgia remains the preferred to land first-class defensive take on Justus Terry(No.
5 in the ESPN 300 )and continues to pursue turns of top-300 defenders Tavion Wallace (Arkansas promise )and Christian Gass (Tennessee). Possibly most interesting, nevertheless, is the Bulldogs’chase for a 2nd quarterback pledge in 2025. In spite of a dedication from four-star passer Ryan Montgomery(No. 115 in the ESPN 300), Georgia hosted Lewis in last weekend and plans to host Cal quarterback devote Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele on Nov. 30, while the Bulldogs have actually also provided Mississippi State promise KaMario Taylor and Stanford dedicate Bear Bachmeier in current weeks.Indiana’s work on the high school recruiting path must be close to end up. The Hoosiers are up 22 promises in the 2025 class after they pulled ESPN 300 Byron Baldwin(No. 267)back into their class on Friday following his October decommitment. Coach Curt Cignetti filled his 2024 lineup with one-year transfers, so expect Indiana to be active in the portal duration, especially in pursuing quarterbacks with Kurtis Rourke out of eligibility beyond this fall.– Lederman