Colorado lands 5-star quarterback amid Deion Sanders NFL coaching rumors

The Colorado Buffaloes don’t play their next game until Saturday when they take on Kansas, but the football program had a big win on Thursday.

Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis committed to Colorado during “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Lewis had been committed to USC since August 2023, decommitted Sunday and transferred to Colorado as an official.

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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders walks to the sideline before the game against Texas Tech on November 9, 2024 in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Annie Rice)

Lewis is no. 2 overall recruit i ESPN’s Recruiting Database. The quarterback was originally the top recruit in the 2026 class, but was reclassified to the 2025 class in January.

Lewis, 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, is in line to succeed Shedeur Sanders as Colorado’s current quarterback, as Sanders is set to be a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

“Obviously coming in after Shedeur was big for me, just seeing what he’s done at Colorado and what he’s turned it into. It’s definitely a blessing to be put in this position coming in after him with his dad. I couldn’t beat that,” Lewis said during the show.

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Carrollton Trojans quarterback Julian Lewis has committed to the Colorado Buffaloes. (John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports/File)

Lewis said part of the reason for choosing Colorado is that Deion Sanders said the best players are going to play, giving Lewis potentially the chance to start as a freshman.

Colorado securing Lewis’ commitment means the Buffaloes are unlikely to aggressively recruit anyone through the transfer portal.

Sanders’ name has been in NFL head coaching rumors, but Lewis’ commitment signals that Colorado’s head coach may not be leaving for the NFL anytime soon.

Lewis is from Carrollton, Georgia, and recently took an unofficial visit to the Georgia Bulldogs, along with showing interest in Indiana, before committing to Colorado.

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Carrollton Trojans quarterback Julian Lewis has committed to the Colorado Buffaloes. (John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports/File)

Colorado is currently 8-2 and has a path to being in the College Football Playoff. If they no. 16-ranked Buffaloes win over Kansas along with a No. 12 BYU loss to No. 21 at Arizona State, that would give the Buffaloes the Big 12 lead.

The Big 12 lead would put Colorado in automatic bid territory. It would be up to the committee to name the Buffaloes a No. 4 seed, but they would still have to win the Big 12 title game to secure a spot.

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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