Back-to-Back Heartbreaks for Julian Lewis As Freshman QB Sees No Respite After Coach Prime’s Blunder

Imagine being hyped up all year, but when it comes to being awarded for your contributions, your peers make it to the big stage, but you don’t. Sad, right? Well, that’s a reality Julian Lewis has had to face lately. Not once, but twice…Who knew the five-star quarterback, once touted to be the “next big thing” in college football, would see this day. But before we tell you about that…

For the unversed: 17-year-old Julian Lewis, who’s currently a Carrollton High School quarterback, had initially committed to the USC Trojans in August 2023. But an opportunity to play under someone like Deion Sanders was enough to wobble his dedication to Lincoln Riley. In November last year, two weeks before the signing period began, the teenager announced he had decommitted to the Trojans, in favor of the Colorado Buffaloes.

Meaning? Lewis would be the one to fill the big shoes of NFL-bound Shedeur Sanders. Imagine this: A 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, whom On3’s Director of Scouting and Rankings called a “polished, productive signal caller with the skill set of an accurate distributor,” playing under the tutelage of Coach Prime, and possibly getting a shot at the CFB championship. But before you get all dreamy-eyed about it, part of that picture has started to crack, it seems…

On January 1, On3 Recruit’s official Instagram page uploaded the “Top 10 QBs in the final 2025 On300 rankings🎯” as per the caption. Bryce Underwood (5-star, committed to Michigan) topped the list followed by Keelon Russell (5-star, committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide), Husan Longstreet (5-star, committed to the USC Trojans), Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (five-star, committed to the California Golden Bears), Tavien St. Clair (5-star, committed to Ohio State), Deuce Knight (5-star, committed to Auburn), Kamario Taylor (4-star, committed to Mississippi State), Alex Manske (4-star, committed to Iowa State), Bryce Baker (4-star, committed to UNC), and Matt Zollers (4-star, committed to University of Missouri). But uncharacteristically, missing from that list was one expected name…

Julian Lewis.

Notably, this comes less than a week after On3 revised its “Final 2025 On300 five-stars” list and left out Lewis’ name yet again. So, yes, as you guessed it right, the future Buffs quarterback’s week has been full of heartbreak—his 5-star status was also demoted to a 4-star, as per On3.

While there’s no possible or official explanation on the matter currently, there have been different debates swirling over the lore, with some suggesting he is not good enough at his craft to get highlighted in the list, while some say it’s the Buffs that actually hold him off from the spotlight. But if you look at his history, it talks volumes.

In his sophomore season, Lewis capped off the season with 3,094 passing yards and 48 touchdowns. He only threw two interceptions in 13 games. The Carrollton offense averaged 39.0 points per game. He also threw for over 4,000 yards and 48 TDs as a freshman a season ago. He would be a top 2026 recruit if he had not reclassified his rank in 2025. Lewis stands out in the entire nation due to his huge elite pair of arms, insane leg mobility, and pinpoint accuracy. But the national media doesn’t seem to pay heed.

As per what Power further noted, “Technically polished and is able to replicate his over the top throwing motion with consistency. Shows the ability to place passes without much variance in location. Quick and decisive decision-maker. Dangerous when working over the middle of the field on RPO’s. Effective at working off of play action. Operates at a high level when in a clean pocket. Plays in an offense that often leans on the quick passing game.”

However, the insider had also warned, “Primarily an in-structure quarterback – needs to improve his ability as a rusher (zero rushing touchdowns through two varsity seasons) and improviser against pressure in addition to size and play strength to hold up against contact in the pocket.” 

It’s concerning that he continues to face rejection from media pundits despite being a highly regarded five-star prospect (now four-star) with a wealth of talent. Is Coach Prime’s recent violation playing the card here? Likely not. But it sure is bringing the Colorado Buffaloes amples of headlines…

Coach Prime commits NCAA-rule violation

Not just Julian Lewis, even Deion Sanders has been experiencing a bad stroke of luck lately…

Last month, the Colorado athletic department was forced to stop livestreaming its weekly coaches show with Deion Sanders, and even remove two episodes from YouTube from last fall after Sanders reportedly committed a minor violation. In the said episodes, Coach Prime reportedly mentioned their quarterback prospect Lewis’ name, before he even signed with the team on December 4 last year.

As per USA Today, the Colorado Athletics Department self reported the incident, and even “decided to impose corrective measures as a result, including additional rules education for Sanders, the head coach, and a reduction of four recruiting-person days in the spring 2025 contact period”. 

“The content will no longer be livestreamed. External relations will therefore be able to review and edit content that could be construed as impermissible publicity of (recruits),” the school’s report on the matter mentioned.

Notably, this was among at least the sixth self-reporting incident by the Colorado football program in 2024. What’s more? Since Sanders’ hiring in December 2022, that number is 11. As per the USA Today, “to be clear, these types of minor violations are fairly common in college sports and are not considered major issues unless they become part of a bigger pattern or are not reported by the school after discovering them. For example, Georgia and Ohio State also each self-reported four minor violations in their football programs during various periods in 2023-24.”

Having said that, what do you think of Julian Lewis’ recent heartbreaks?