Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, the No. 2 recruit in the 2025 ESPN 300, announced his commitment to Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Lewis, who has committed to USC since August 2023, dropped out of Lincoln Riley’s class Sunday. Lewis, from Carrollton, Georgia, recently took an unofficial visit to Georgia and expressed interest in Indiana.
In the end, it was Sanders & Co. which pulled off another recruitment coup. While at Jackson State, Sanders flipped five-star cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter from Florida State in the 2022 class and did it again the next cycle, taking cornerback Cormani McClain from Miami. Now, with Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, headed to the NFL after this season, the Buffaloes have their QB of the future.
Originally the top recruit in the class of 2026, Lewis reclassified to the class of 2025 in January, but he has been considered a top recruit since the eighth grade. Lewis, who is 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, is the second-ranked QB in the class behind Bryce Underwood, an LSU commit.
Here’s what to know about this big recruiting news with less than two weeks until the early signing period begins on December 4:
How is Lewis and who does he compare to in college football?
Perhaps the most important component of this commitment is the timing of the portal opening combined with Colorado’s success on the field. This could lead to taller and better players heading to Colorado, which would give Lewis a better supporting cast as many of the offense’s top targets will be leaving this team.
As far as how Lewis will perform, expect to see more time and decisiveness from Lewis in offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s offense. Lewis is a rhythm and timing passer with similar athleticism to Shedeur Sanders, but may not be as smart when it comes to things. Lewis was most anticipated and took the ball out of his hands. He’s the right-handed version of Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel. — Tom Luginbill
What does this mean for Deion’s future in Colorado?
By itself, one commitment from a high school player — even if he’s well-regarded — won’t affect Sanders’ career path.
The takeaway here is more about Sanders and his staff’s ability to instill confidence in players of Lewis’ caliber that they’ll be there — and that’s important. It’s unlikely that Sanders will escape speculation about his career, so it’s only natural that recruiting targets want the assurances associated with it. In this case, Lewis is pretty comfortable with what he’s hearing about Sanders’ future.
But it is also important to understand that if Sanders’ situation changes and he leaves for any reason, the player is free to transfer without penalty. That dynamic lowers the stakes of commitment in this era.
Sanders has said publicly on multiple occasions — including this week — that he is happy in Boulder and has no plans to leave. There’s no reason to question his happiness in Colorado, but it would also be a mistake to take the coach’s comments about his future at face value. — Kyle Bonagura
What’s next for the Colorado classroom?
Lewis is just Colorado’s fifth ESPN 300 commitment in the past two cycles. But none is bigger than this one, for what Lewis could represent for the future and what it means for the promise of the rest of the program in the 2025 class, with the Buffaloes making some late-cycle upsets.
Prior to Lewis’ commitment, Colorado had 10 commitments in the 2025 class, all of which were outside of the ESPN 300. Sanders landed the top two members of that group when he flipped UCF defensive tackle Christian Hudson and Arizona State wide receiver Adrian Wilson during that stretch. from the last 48 hours of the last month. But Colorado has been hunting flips recently, and Lewis’ commitment should spark some serious recruiting momentum.
There’s plenty of optimism about the program’s chances with Ohio State defensive end London Merritt (No. 52 in the ESPN 300) and outside linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng (No. 81) committed after a pair of IMG Academy teammates visited Colorado last week. The Buffaloes host two other IMG teammates – four-star Alabama offensive lineman Michael Carroll and three-star Oklahoma State defensive end commit Alexander McPherson – in Week 12, as well. Meanwhile, top-300 offensive tackle Carde Smith reopened his recruitment Wednesday night when he decommitted from USC after three-plus months in the Trojans’ class.
With Lewis in the fold, the stage is set for Colorado to finish strong in 2025. — Eli Lederman
What’s next for the lost schools?
USC recovered quickly from Lewis’ exit, securing the flip of four-star Texas A&M pledge Husan Longstreet on November 17, minutes after Lewis’ decommitment became official. Expect the Trojans to remain active in looking for offensive linemen after Smith’s decommitment, and USC can still add a key promise on defense on December 4 as one of the four finalists for five-star defensive back Jahkeem Stewart, No. 11 in the ESPN 300.
Georgia remains the favorite to land five-star defensive end Justus Terry (No. 5 in the ESPN 300) and continues to pursue top-300 defensive backs Tavion Wallace (Arkansas commit) and Christian Gass (Tennessee). Perhaps the most interesting, however, the Bulldogs’ pursuit of the promise of a second quarterback in 2025. Despite the commitment of four-star passer Ryan Montgomery (No. 115 in the ESPN 300), Georgia hosted Lewis last weekend and plans to host Cal. quarterback commit Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele on Nov. 30, while the Bulldogs also offered Mississippi State commit KaMario Taylor and Stanford commit Bear Bachmeier in recent weeks.
Indiana’s work on the high school recruiting trail needs to be done. The Hoosiers are up 22 pledges in the 2025 class after they pulled ESPN 300 Byron Baldwin (No. 267) back into the class on Monday after an October decommitment. Coach Curt Cignetti filled the 2024 roster with one-year transfers, so expect Indiana to be active in the portal period, especially in the quarterback pursuit with Kurtis Rourke ineligible beyond this fall. — Lederman
