In perhaps the biggest change in the 2025 recruiting class, five-star quarterback Julian Lewis has committed to the Colorado Buffaloes. he announced pat mcafee show Thursday.
Rated as the No. 2 player in the 2025 class by ESPN, Lewis has verbally committed to head coach Lincoln Riley's team in August 2023 and has been a long-time commit to the USC Trojans. Ta.
However, as the summer approached, a flurry of interest from top programs began to materialize, with Lewis taking official visits to the Trojans, Buffaloes, Indiana Hoosiers, and Auburn Tigers, all of whom were named elite QBs in the 2025 class. I was looking for. .
The Georgia Bulldogs also expressed interest in the in-state recruit, and Lewis was scheduled to travel to Athens for a game last weekend. But at the end of the day, Lewis, a native of Carrollton, Ga., couldn't afford to miss out on the Buffaloes. That's because Lewis will be heading to Boulder in one of the biggest recruiting moves in the 2025 class.
How did we get to this point, and what does this move mean for the programs involved?
Recruiting Mr. Lewis
As previously mentioned, Lewis committed to USC early on, pledging to return to USC on August 22, 2023 to serve as head coach Lincoln Riley's next big quarterback.
The move made sense for both parties, as Lewis was slated to be the next five-star recruit in Riley's two-year cycle, following former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson, who was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2023. It was something.
Of course, the plan did not fully come true for the Trojans. With Nelson transferring after his freshman year, USC acquired Jayden Maiava in the transfer portal, making him and Miller Moss their top options for the 2024 season.
Nevertheless, Riley prioritized the top signal-caller from the class of 2025 as the successor to USC's quarterback chain following No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, who left for the NFL Draft after last season.
Lewis quickly emerged as a candidate and was reclassified from the Class of 2026, allowing him to postpone his senior season and enter college a year early, giving him an earlier chance to compete at the next level.
Initially, several blue blood schools were involved in the five-star effort. USC, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, Ohio State, Texas A&M, and LSU comprised the top eight schools prior to the early commitments.
Lewis ultimately chose the Trojans, but there was still work to be done to truly land the five-star quarterback, as the Georgia native was still visiting other schools on game day visits. It was clear that there was still one left.
Colorado started getting involved at the beginning of the year, bringing Lewis on for a Junior Day visit, and interest between both teams really started to grow.
The Buffaloes have a clear opening at quarterback, as starter Shedule Sanders is expected to enter the 2025 NFL Draft and is currently projected to be a top-10 pick.
That relationship deepened over the summer, with Lewis taking an official visit to Boulder before returning to campus for game days again this fall.
Ultimately, unable to ignore his desire to play early and the intrigue Colorado provided with its high-octane offense, Lewis decommitted from USC on Sunday and committed to Colorado on Thursday. did.
USC released five-star quarterback Huthan Longstreet from Texas A&M, and the Buffaloes also moved up to secure a quarterback for the cycle, so the Cards were cleared before his departure.
“It was big for me that I had just come after Shedur.” [Sanders] Just looking at what he’s done for Colorado and how he’s changed it,” Lewis said in committing to Colorado. “It's definitely a blessing to be able to follow in his footsteps and get into this position, and I couldn't have done more to thank his father.
“Coach Prime always said the best players play, but what I really wanted was to come out and be a starter as a freshman, because sitting on the bench is not very fun. I want to be out there where I get a chance to play, so he's going to let me compete for that and that was big for me.”
Of course, Lewis will need to earn his spot as a freshman, but that's not guaranteed, as was the case with former top pick Komani McClain, a former five-star who left Colorado after one season. However, the quarterback position has an inside track to earn the position early in Boulder and could potentially follow in Sanders' footsteps.
What's next?
It's clear that Shedule Sanders is expected to leave after this season, but there are questions about head coach Deion Sanders, and whether he would take the NFL head coaching job if given the opportunity this offseason. There is also a question.
Sanders has repeatedly denied that, which makes sense since he appears to be the best person to lead the college program. Landing a five-star recruit with Lewis' star power only furthers the idea that the head coach will remain in Boulder beyond this season, so let's see what could happen next for the Buffaloes.
As in recent years, Colorado hopes to make some noise late in the 2025 cycle, with an early signing period coming up on Dec. 4.
They currently have 11 commitments in the 2025 class, with Lewis leading the way as the only five-star, but the group also has several four-star recruits.
However, Colorado is still actively recruiting a number of high-profile players. At the top of the group is five-star linebacker Nathanial Owusu-Boateng, who remains one of the best prospects in the 2025 class. He was on campus last week, as was London Merritt, a four-star defensive end who is currently attending Ohio State University.
Additionally, the Buffaloes' most high-profile recruit remaining is five-star offensive lineman Michael Carroll from the University of Alabama, who recently visited Colorado, and all three recruits are from IMG Academy. be.
With the transfer portal likely to be a source of talent once again, the Buffaloes could be in for a big offseason in 2025 as they look to build a strong recruiting class in the second half to shore up the rest of the roster. there is.
All in all, Lewis' addition should help Colorado land a top player with less than two weeks remaining in the early signing period.
