The moment that the Buffs Nation has been waiting for is finally here! The official visit weekend for Julian Lewis started on June 21. This is the weekend that will decide the outcome of a year’s worth of blood, sweat, and tears of the Buffs staff. Deion Sanders and Co. have invested two unofficial visits leading up to this, in convincing Julian Lewis to flip to Colorado. Albeit Lewis, the top prospect of the class of 2025, committed to USC in August 2023 and has affirmed that he is “still locked in” with Coach Riley per 247 Sports, his fondness for Deion Sanders and Co. is not veiled as well.

The highly prized 5-star Carrollton prospect has been vocal about his interest in Colorado in the past, but his voicing out his intentions right before his official visit to Colorado is a huge hint for Deion Sanders and Co. to focus on. Between the flashing lights of the SI cover photo shoot and his father by his side, Julian Lewis confessed what he truly wanted from his career: “ I just want to win,” Lewis simply yet proudly admitted in the SI interview for their October 2023 issue.

Further speaking about himself as a football phenom, Lewis confessed that he is just like other kids, just with the ability to “throw the football a little bit further and harder.” On that note, On3’s national recruiting analyst Philip Dukes believes that “Colorado has a real shot of landing Julian Lewis.” The celebrity status of Deion Sanders and the popularity that Colorado can gift Lewis if he becomes the starting QB, are some of the major factors that CU is leveraging to lure JuJu away from USC.

Julian Lewis’ bait: NIL

In his interview with SI, the prodigy also unveiled his raw interest in “playing the long game with NIL opportunities, too.” With this confession, Lewis leaning more towards Colorado looks all too logical. Shedeur Sanders, the starting QB of Colorado, currently leads the NIL valuation charts in the whole of NCAA with his $4.8 million NIL valuation.

If Lewis decides to flip to Colorado, he knows what will be in store for him: the starting QB position once Shedeur Sanders moves to the NFL in 2025, plus becoming a center of attraction for the NIL deals. With all this, Deion Sanders and Co. are on their way to becoming one of the top forces in the NCAA. If CU can make it big this season, it would be a massive plus for Lewis, since he would be inheriting the starting position of one of the top seeds in the NCAA. A win-win.