During a recruiting visit to the Colorado campus in 2024, Julian “JuJu” Lewis posed for a photo in which he sat in a throne, while then-Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders handed him a set of keys.
After riding shotgun throughout the first nine games of this season, Lewis will finally be in the driver’s seat Saturday when the Buffs visit West Virginia (10 a.m. MT, TNT).
On Tuesday, CU head coach Deion Sanders confirmed that Lewis will make his long-awaited first career start as the Buffs (3-6, 1-5 Big 12) try to snap a two-game losing skid.
“Common sense,” Sanders said when asked why he made the change.
Signed out of Carrollton (Georgia) High School as the potential heir to Shedeur, who shattered numerous records as the Buffs’ quarterback the previous two years, Lewis graduated from high school 1 1/2 years early to enroll at CU.
Throughout this season, however, he’s sat behind Kaidon Salter, a fifth-year senior transfer from Liberty who was brought in as a bridge between Shedeur and Lewis.
The bridge has been rickety all season, though, to the point that CU had little choice but to give Lewis a shot last week off the bench during a 52-17 loss to Arizona.
During the last two games – blowout losses to Utah and Arizona – Salter led the Buffs to just seven points (along with 12 punts, three turnovers, a turnover on downs and a safety) in 18 possessions.
Second-stringer Ryan Staub went 0-for-2 with two interceptions after replacing Salter on Saturday. Dating back to the fourth quarter at Houston on Sept. 12, Staub is 9-for-25 with one touchdown and four interceptions.
Sanders said Salter will “probably” be the No. 2 quarterback this week, but added, “I don’t know yet.”
What he does know is that the keys to the offense are now in the hands of Lewis, a five-star recruit who is the highest-rated quarterback ever signed by the Buffs, per 247Sports.com.
Lewis went 9-for-17 for 121 yards and his first career touchdown pass on Saturday. He led the Buffs to 10 points before departing with a hand injury, but Coach Prime said the freshman is healthy.
“He’s good,” Sanders said. “He’s throwing the heck out of the ball. He’s a young kid. He’s gonna make young kid mistakes, but itap up to the staff to get him prepared and get him ready so he could be concise and precise. He has to make quick reads and get the ball out of there, run when he feels pressure and just be himself. Just do what you’ve been doing your whole life.”
Lewis threw for 11,010 yards and 144 touchdowns in his three seasons as the varsity starter at Carrollton. He put his arm on display at times Saturday, including on his 59-yard touchdown pass to Omarion Miller.
“He got the ball out in certain situations,” Sanders said. “He saw what was coming, what was happening. He received information and tried to apply it, what he was receiving through the headset, which he did a good job about that.
“And he was more talkative to his teammates. What I mean by that is you’ve got to communicate with your linemen, your backs, your receivers. You got to let them know that you’re there, you’re in command, you’re in control because they’re looking for leadership.”
CU’s been looking for leadership, especially at quarterback, all season. Sanders is hoping the shift to Lewis can spark a team that has looked lost in the last two games and a fan base that has given up hope on a season that has soured.
“We have the best fan base in college football,” Sanders said. “Supportive, loving, caring. They deserve so much more than what we’re giving them right now. We’re not playing good football right now. They deserve more. They deserve the hope that we gave them over the last couple of seasons that we were going to improve. They deserve more. We’re underachieving for them. And my heart goes out to them.
“I want (fans) to stay supportive, stay in love with the team; not in like, stay in love with the team because we are trending right behind the curtains. If you really knew everything behind the curtains, we’re trending in the right direction.”
