Many Colorado Buffaloes fans had high hopes that quarterback Julian Lewis would take over after Shedeur Sanders’ departure to the NFL. However, Deion Sanders chose to rely on other options, and now the Buffaloes sit at 3-6 this season with a 1-5 record in Big 12 play.
As a former five-star recruit, Lewis clearly has the talent that could have been utilized earlier. Coach Prime seems to have realized that, as he announced Tuesday, Lewis will make his first career start in Week 11 against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Julian Lewis’ Potential as a Starter Raises Doubt About Deion Sanders’ Early-Season Decision
Lewis showed enough potential against the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday to earn the starting nod against West Virginia. With him now designated as Colorado’s QB1, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round pick Aqib Talib shared his thoughts on the freshman.
“I’m excited to see what it looks like. Man, he (is) a five-star for a reason,” Talib said (via DNVR Buffs). “He got that it factor. I don’t care how I look in practice. Once he gets in the game, that’s when he is gonna do his best sh*t. That’s what five stars do. They got a different IT factor in the game. Hopefully he comes out and goes crazy, and they’ll be like, ‘Damn, Prime, why you ain’t start him from the jump?’”
On Saturday, Lewis threw for 121 yards and a touchdown before leaving late in the fourth quarter with what was initially thought to be a hand injury. He is now healthy and reportedly throwing the ball perfectly ahead of his first career start.
Lewis has only played in two games due to a rotation with Kaidon Salter and Ryan Staub, totaling 129 passing yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. Coach Prime had initially avoided putting pressure on Lewis by starting him as a freshman.
However, Michigan also started freshman Bryce Underwood this season, and he has led the squad to a 7-2 record so far. Keeping all his early decisions aside, Sanders raved about the freshman, saying he got the ball out in certain situations. He also praised Lewis’ readiness for his first career start in Boulder.
“He saw what was coming, what was happening,” Sanders said. “He received information and tried to apply it…He was more talkative to his teammates. What I mean by that is you’ve got to communicate with your linemen, your backs, and your receivers. You’ve got to let them know that you’re there, you’re in command, you’re in control, because they’re looking for leadership.”
Meanwhile, the Buffaloes, currently ranked 42nd in PFSN’s CFB tOLi, will look to put up a solid outing against the Mountaineers.
