As Shedeur Sanders prepares for the 2025 NFL Draft, he already has a successor in mind. Expected to be first-round pick with 11,823 passing yards and 111 TDs so far, it’s going to be hard to replace the 22-year-old—but not impossible. As Sanders sat down for the Big 12 Media Days on July 10, he was hopeful: “You know, Julian coming, he may be able to take over the reins, but I wouldn’t be mad at that. Whoever is the next quarterback, it should be Julian, but he’ll be like his new son.”   

But getting Julian Lewis into the Colorado Buffaloes is easier said than done. The five-star recruit and “the most staggering freshman season in Georgia’s robust high school football history” according to Sports Illustrated, already had 35 college football offers by February 2023, before he committed to USC last August. However, as the 17-year-old seems to be keeping his options open—with official visits to Indiana, Auburn, and Colorado—coaches all over the NCAA circuit have been battling to whisk him away. Currently a student at Carrollton High School in Georgia, the 17-year-old in his sophomore year, threw for 3,094 yards and 48 touchdowns to only two interceptions, helping his team maintain a 11-2 record and win the regional title. He was also named the Gatorade Georgia player of the year in January 2024.

Hence, as the Colorado Buffaloes recently made their mark with a third straight win this season, Coach Prime is up and about for the biggest competition in recruiting. Failing to secure Lewis might be a big setback for the Buffaloes, especially with Shedeur leaving and the team seeking to capitalize on the success of the current season. However, as per Steve Wiltfong, the Vice President of Recruiting and Transfer Portal for On3, things aren’t looking too great for Prime Time.

“USC’s still in strong position to maintain his commitment and get his signature on December 4th. Now with that, he’s starting to have dialogue again with Auburn over the last couple weeks, he talks to Indiana regularly. The Hoosiers are trying to get him to campus for the Michigan game…and then Colorado again they’re trying to get them back for either Cincinnati or Kansas State,” he said on the On3 Recruits YouTube channel. But why exactly is Lewis so enamored with the USC? Well, Wiltfong explained that too.“The opportunity to play for [USC Trojans coach] Lincoln Riley, what he’s done historically with quarterbacks, not only on the field developing him into the first pick of the draft, the Heisman Trophy winner, but how he keeps his quarterbacks upright and healthy historically is another thing that the Lewis Camp has said to me in the past. The way USC’s recruiting wide outs, they have a very strong wide receiver class with Jerome Myles, Corey Simms…so that’s an exciting group to play with. He got a chance to spend some time with Elijah Verona today, an offensive line commit who had a fabulous visit. So he’s getting to know those guys…,” the journalist added.

Just to give you some perspective, Lincoln Riley has mentored three Heisman Trophy winners—current Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield, Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, and Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams.

Although, Coach Prime has shown the ability to recruit quality talent such as Shedeur Sanders. However, the reality of the situation is that this will be Sanders’ final NCAA season if Lewis does decide to commit to the University of Southern California, it is going to be a big blow for Colorado. Lewis might yet not be as good as Shedeur, but he is worthy of the QB position.

The stakes of recruiting in college football

College football recruiting remains every bit as cut-throat as it was previously, with big talents making program-altering decisions. The fight for a quarterback like Julian Lewis is not just for those natural talents; it is for the idea and the direction of the program. Julian Lewis has impressive stats: 8,589 yards, 117 touchdown passes, 252.6 yards per game, 570 completions, 844 attempts, and 17 interceptions. Deion being in a position to lose a future CU recruit has imposed the big question on the foundation that Coach Prime has worked hard to renovate the football culture of Colorado.

Recruitment is a very important strategy in college football. The implication with Colorado is that, for a talented player like Lewis committed to such a school as USC, which has nurtured many NFL talents over the years, then the challenges must be so formidable. Wiltfong also mentioned that “USC is recruiting at a high level on defense right now.” This simply serves to add to the incentive of having players perform for the Trojans. This constantly means that there will always be choices, and choices mean routes to greatness for Lewis.

On the other hand, the Buffaloes, have to start proving that they are not only an athletic team with skills to play on the field but also to groom young talents for the big leagues. The gameplay and partnership of Sanders and Hunter in this particular season may equally compel Lewis and others to think of Colorado but the pressure map exists. With Shedeur’s departure, the Buffaloes need to secure their next star quarterback to maintain momentum.

As we track this recruitment closely, it simply makes one realize that every game, every play, and every interaction is a decision-maker among young athletes. This means that even though Coach Prime has made an impressive name for himself, as a head coach and recruiter, he is going to face the importance of establishing a culture and program in Boulder. Playing in a sport where each campaigning may take a team several years to cultivate, the Colorado Buffaloes could find the loss of a five-star recruit like Lewis costly.