Coach Prime Takes Crucial Step to Threaten Julian Lewis’ Potential Future at Colorado Football

Colorado’s chant for Julian Lewis has lately been louder than ever! The 5-star quarterback of the 2025 class is contemplating his college football choices despite being committed to USC. Amidst the clamor to lure him to Colorado, 99-year-old superfan Peggy Coppom, who appeared in a video, beckoned Lewis to join the program and win in 2025.

With Shedeur Sanders leaving for the NFL next year, the hunt for his replacement has begun and Julian Lewis could be the elite haul. Lewis has shown interest in Colorado and recently disclosed that it’s because of Coach Prime. But coach Deion Sanders has another prospect in Colorado, putting Julian Lewis’ future in a dilemma.

Coach Prime gets a visit from 4-star Jaden O’Neal of the 2026 class

Coach Prime is looking ahead to Colorado’s future as his hunt for Shedeur Sanders’ potential replacement continues. With Julian Lewis still undecided on his final commitment, the Buffs recently had a visit from 4-star Jaden O’Neal of the 2026 class, which was deemed a key step to “threaten” Lewis’ potential future at Colorado. As reported by NoSkoZone on IG, the QB prospect “is in Boulder Colorado for his visit with Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes Football team.”

However, earlier when there were talks that Coach Prime would be leaving the Buffs along with his sons, he confirmed, “… A real father guides his sons, he doesn’t follow them… So, I’m good, I’ll be here. I ain’t going nowhere…”

As the update states, the 6’3, 200-pounder is the No. 6 QB in the 2026 class and a top 100 player. As a star in Narbonne HS last season, Jaden O’Neal recorded 2,475 yards and 27 touchdowns in 11 games. His talent shone in various off-season events like Under Armour Next Camp and Elite 11 Regional Camp. O’Neal has received several offers aside from Colorado, which includes Texas, Auburn, and Nebraska, among others. Is he a better prospect than Julian Lewis?

Apart from his success in football games, the quarterback also excels in life. He has an annual value of over $625,000 and a staggering roster value of $1.6 million, bringing the total to around $2.2 million, according to On3’s NIL valuations. Currently, he ranks 57th among college football players and 78th overall. With the NIL policy recently coming to light to enhance the financial incentives of college athletes, it’s safe to say that the LSU QB has enjoyed his fair share of privileges.

Julian Lewis’ hype as a 5-star QB prospect 

Before Jaden O’Neal came into the picture, everything about Shedeur Sanders’ replacement revolved around Julian Lewis. Both Rivals and ESPN  rated the Carrollton HS standout as the No. 1 QB in the class of 2025. In his two seasons in high school, Lewis accounted for a total of 7,212 yards and 96 touchdowns completing nearly 66% of his passes. 

Highlighting the expectations of his family, Lewis’ father, T.C. recently unveiled the expectations of the Lewis family with several schools trying to win the commitment of the QB. He said, “It’s foolish to assume anything. Like you gotta plan and prepare for everything in any scenario.” T.C. also cleared any clouds of regulations, saying, “I think there’s a huge misconception out there that the Lewis’ think Julian’s supposed to start as a freshman. No. The kid just wants an opportunity to walk into a situation where there’s not a cemented starter.”

Julian Lewis is set to visit Coach Prime and Colorado for the third time this month. This time, it will be an official visit that will take place between June 21 and June 23. His talent and skills have landed him several offers from other programs, too, including Auburn, with whom he has a scheduled official visit on June 14. Where would this highly touted QB finally give his commitment to? Stay tuned for more updates.