In June, Julian Lewis entered the summer as a USC commit. With questions swirling around about his future, he said, “I’m definitely gonna shut it down. My plan is to shut it down before the season just so I can focus on things that need to be done for my senior year.” The high school football season in his home state of Georgia started in August. Now, we’re just a couple of days away from the playoffs kicking off, and it looks like JuJu’s situation has gotten even more complicated.

The question in June was: Will JuJu exit the summer as a USC commit? Unfortunately for the Trojans, as the college football season has progressed, the answer to that question has been tipping toward a no. USC isn’t the same team it was last season, and their 4-5 record so far is proof of that. As a result, quarterback Miller Moss was benched for Jayden Maiava. In the 3 games the sophomore has played, he’s completed 8-of-11 passes for 66 yards and registered 0 interceptions and 1 rushing touchdown.

Interestingly, the Trojans have won all three games Maiava started. That’s to say that if he continues playing like he is, Julian Lewis may not get a proper chance to assume the starting quarterback role for the next couple of seasons. But that’s where the Colorado Buffaloes come in. With Shedeur Sanders set to join the NFL next season, JuJu would be the perfect replacement in Boulder. However, in light of recent events, there’s a new-yet-familiar program in the discussion. And it’s close to home.

A two-hour drive, to be precise. That’s how close the University of Georgia, Athens campus is to Julian Lewis’ Carrollton High School. In an announcement that came out of left field, On3 reported that JuJu would be making an unofficial visit to Athens this weekend. Why? To watch the No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs take on the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers in a huge home game. Needless to say, this is huge recruiting news for Kirby Smart & Co., and if they pull off a win, who knows? It might just pique Lewis’ interest in Georgia once again!

On November 13, Rusty Mansell, co-owner and publisher of DawgsHQ, discussed this on On3’s YouTube channel. With college football’s early signing period happening from December 4 to 6, he said, “If you’re Georgia, if you’re Julian Lewis, there’s three weeks left. He comes to campus. You probably have a conversation and go, ‘Where are you at? What’s going on here?’ Because I do know this… JuJu Lewis, at one time, really wanted to be at Georgia. He really wanted to be in Georgia at one time.”

Before the quarterback reclassed to the Class of 2025, the Bulldogs were a serious prospect for JuJu despite having committed to USC in August 2023. They’ve maintained a strong relationship with the Georgia native and had ben trying to flip him for quite some time. But in April this year, the Bulldogs got their first quarterback commitment in the 2025 recruiting class: Ohio’s Ryan Montgomery. This move may have seemed like a deterrent to Lewis, who started looking elsewhere (including Colorado). But it looks like the 17-year-old could still give UGA a chance.

Mansell added, “He really wanted to be in Georgia at one time, and then he reclassed, some things changed; it was a lot different, you know? The whole process kind of went differently, but I know for a fact that Juju Lewis grew up really rooting for Georgia. So, this is a big deal. It’s also a big game… You want to go to a big game environment. But I do think with this, if I’m Kirby Smart, if I’m Mike Bobo, you’re taking two in his class. You go, ‘Okay, JuJu. Where are you at? What’s going on, and what’s the thing?’ JuJu probably has questions for them, too, so it’s wild.”

There’s no question that the Bulldogs would happily take two quarterbacks in the 2025 recruiting class. Especially considering Kirby Smart’s problem with the quarterback plays this season. Carson Beck hasn’t done too well (and he’s leaving for the NFL next season), so Smart could be looking to bring not just Montgomery but also Lewis. After all, they’ll both be attending the Tennessee game this weekend. What’s more is that four-star Montgomery missed his entire senior season due to a knee injury.

With the Ohio native not likely to be completely fit in time for spring drills, the No. 1 quarterback role will be up for grabs. And if his numbers are anything to go by, Julian Lewis could very well be that No. 1 signal caller. This season, he’s completed 76% of his passes for 2,549 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. In three years, his numbers have added up to 9,761 yards, 132 touchdowns, and just 18 interceptions. Importantly, as a starting quarterback, he has a remarkable 35-3 record.

So, that’s where we are at. After all the rumors about Lewis ending up at the Buffs, we have these Georgia links. Will he? Can he? The de-commitment from the Trojans seems inevitable at this point, but what’s his likely destination? The Bulldogs may have joined the race but the Buffaloes still seem like the favorites.

Julian Lewis’ recent visit to Colorado may have just made them the favorites

The speculation around a flip to Colorado started when Julian Lewis visited the program in late June. Apart from Shedeur Sanders giving him symbolic keys, JuJu also shared a few glimpses from his visit, one of which was a picture of the Buffaloes’ black and gold cleats. The young quarterback’s general feelings about Deion Sanders’ setup were all positive, and his October 26 visit may have just solidified that.

Lewis headed to Boulder to watch the Buffs take on the Cincinnati Bearcats. The 34-23 win resulted in a 6-2 record, making Colorado bowl-eligible for the first time since Coach Prime took over. On3’s Steve Wiltfong addressed JuJu’s visit, saying, “What we do know is he had a fantastic experience at Colorado this weekend, talking to the sources that spent time or have knowledge of his recruitment.

“He was there for spring practice, and I remember his dad telling me, ‘They’ve got playmakers; this is an offense that’s going to be explosive.’ They wanted to see it live, real action and they’ve gotten just that.” Can Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs pull off something similar this weekend to tip the scales in their favor? Only time will tell who Julian Lewis chooses.