When it comes to the 2025 freshman class, few players are more well-known than Julian “JuJu” Lewis, the quarterback from Georgia who was heralded as a phenom even before he entered high school.
Lewis, a five-star quarterback who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 185 pounds, has been committed to the USC Trojans for nearly a year, having verbally committed to join Coach Lincoln Riley’s program on Aug. 22, 2023.
That hasn’t stopped a host of suitors interested in Lewis from pursuing him enthusiastically, with the Carrollton, Georgia, quarterback taking four official visits this season.
Rankings vary across recruiting sites, but let’s break down Lewis: Where does his recruitment stand right now, despite being committed to USC this past year?
Julian Lewis Profile
Lewis gained national attention as a middle schooler and continued to gain notoriety for years to come, playing in the Under Armour All-American Game as an eighth-grader and drawing early interest from Georgia, Clemson, Louisiana State and Alabama before even entering high school.
Originally projected as a top prospect in the Class of 2026, Lewis was instead classified as a 2025 recruit, which not only raised his level of competition but also gave USC an early look at a valuable recruit.
Lewis’ high school coach, Joey King, also had the opportunity to coach former No. 1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence in high school and compared the two quarterbacks, noting during the reclassification that Lewis’ arm talent is superior to players his age.
“I had the opportunity to coach Trevor Lawrence and he’s in the same category as Trevor. His skill set and arm talent are obviously good for his age,” King said, via ESPN.
So how has Lewis developed as a quarterback?
Lewis is 6-foot-1, 185 pounds and has a strong base frame with room to grow to suit his size. The quarterback’s undersized frame may be one of the bigger question marks at this point, given the strengths surrounding his game.
Accuracy is a key component of Lewis’ game at every level, with the quarterback taking pride in placing the ball in all areas of the field, both in structure in the pocket and on the move.
Lewis, who recently participated in the Elite 11, a camp for the nation’s top quarterbacks, was especially praised for his accuracy and ball placement, with On3’s Charles Power calling him the most accurate signal caller during the event.
“Lewis lived up to his reputation as a very accurate pocket passer in the Elite 11 Finals,” Power said. The USC freshman was the most accurate passer throughout the week and especially over the final two days.”
“Lewis was on target during his Pro Day session, taking second place in the accuracy challenge behind Tavian St. Clair. He carried that momentum into Day 3, where he was able to nail his passes with precision in touch and location during the 7-on-7 session. At 6-foot tall and 186 pounds, Lewis’ advanced development has allowed him to play with a high degree of accuracy, further enhancing his skills as an intelligent distributor.”
The stats back that up: Lewis completed 66.4 percent of his passes last season for 3,094 yards, 48 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Combine Lewis’ arm talent with his elite athleticism, scripted or not, and it’s easy to see why he was so highly rated as a college recruit.
Lewis has all the tools to be successful at the next level, and for now, he’s learning from one of the best quarterback gurus in college football, USC’s Lincoln Riley.
Lewis’s Recruitment
While the five-star quarterback is currently committed to the Trojans for the long haul, Lewis has also garnered significant interest from other top programs over the past year.
This has resulted in more than a dozen unofficial visits and four official visits since he signed, creating uncertainty as the quarterback’s senior season approaches.
Last fall, Lewis took unofficial visits to Georgia (twice), Alabama, Auburn, USC and Ohio State.
In the spring, the five-star quarterback visited Auburn (twice), Colorado, Georgia, Indiana and Alabama ahead of official visit season.
Lewis took four trips in June, starting with stops at Indiana, USC and Auburn before wrapping up the trip at Colorado on the weekend of June 21.
Earlier this summer, the Tigers were seriously considering trying to persuade Lewis to commit to USC, but those rumors seem to have died down considerably as Auburn looks to fill the position by the fall.
Indiana will likely continue to make a strong push to acquire Lewis, but USC remains a solid home base even as various teams try to pry the five-star quarterback away from his current transfer destination.
But the Buffaloes are not to be underestimated, with a ferocious offense spearheaded by head coach Deion Sanders. Colorado is searching for its quarterback of the future after starter Shedul Sanders is expected to leave at the end of the season for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ultimately, this recruiting process could continue through National Signing Day, creating a battle for the most coveted quarterback in the country and leaving at least one team in an unlucky situation come December.
