Recruiting in college football has always been bananas. Recent strides and inroads made on NIL have only furthered the feelings of the Wild, Wild, West. Southern Cal found themselves in a tough spot this weekend, while Colorado appears to have come up large.
USC lost elite quarterback Julian Lewis, who decided to de-commit from the program this weekend. While USC flipped a player in his place, five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet, formerly of Texas A&M, all the attention swam to Lewis. And perhaps for a good reason: Because Colorado was apparently calling.
After Lewis’ de-commitment, recruiting experts felt Lewis was leaning toward Boulder. On Thursday, it turns out, that’s exactly what happened.
Lewis announced his commitment to Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show. The major announcement sent off shockwaves around the college football world.
BREAKING NEWS:
“I will be continuing my athletic and academic career at @CUBuffsFootball” ~ @JulianLewis10
CONGRATULATIONS 👏 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/qxYMmmguqb
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 21, 2024
“I will be continuing my athletic and academic career at the University of Colorado,” Lewis confirmed on the show. Host Pat McAfee congratulated JuJu and wished him well going forward.
Lewis’ commitment to Colorado is major in itself. He’s Colorado’s highest-rated recruit since 247Sports began tracking recruits in 2000. So before he even steps foot on campus in Boulder, Lewis is already a memorable name in the program’s history.
Furthermore, this move helps set Colorado up for the future. While kids commit to the coach, not necessarily the program, Lewis’ inclusion in the ranks can help bridge the gap between him and Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Deion Sanders’ son is expected to be one of the top picks in next year’s NFL Draft if not the top pick.
Now that Sanders has an elite quarterback on his roster next year, the contingency plan can be implemented.
That’s also the thing: Deion is not recruiting or coaching like a man who wants to leave Boulder. While there’s speculation that he could take the Dallas Cowboys head coaching job this offseason, his moves don’t suggest anything like that.
The college football world reacted to the stunning news on Colorado.
It’s definitely perfect timing! #Committed #SkoBuffs 🦬 pic.twitter.com/5jp5kh7ZT6
— Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis QB (@JulianLewis10) November 21, 2024
5⭐️ Julian Lewis (no. 2 ESPN 300) has committed to Colorado! 🦬 #SkoBuffs pic.twitter.com/Tp5FLmjICl
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) November 21, 2024
OFFICIAL// 2025 ELITE 5⭐️ Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis is the next Quarterback of the Colorado Buffaloes
JuJu Lewis comes into the program filling the role of 2025 NFL prospect Shedeur Sanders pic.twitter.com/UExFIkSXQE
— Taylor Sadusky (@taylorjsadusky) November 21, 2024
Look at that, well it sure seems like Prime ain’t going nowhere…for now. https://t.co/mZnZPVTnq9
— P-E Juste (@pejuste) November 21, 2024
