Colorado lands 5-star quarterback amid Deion Sanders NFL coaching rumors

The Colorado Buffaloes don’t play their next game until Saturday when they take on Kansas, but the football program had a big win on Thursday.

Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis committed to Colorado during "The Pat McAfee Show."

Lewis had been committed to USC since August 2023, reneged his commitment on Sunday and made his switch to Colorado official. 

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Lewis is the No. 2 overall recruit in ESPN’s recruiting database. The quarterback was initially the top recruit in the class of 2026 but was reclassified to the 2025 class in January.

Lewis, 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, is in line to succeed Shedeur Sanders as Colorado’s current quarterback, as Sanders is set to be a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

"Of course, it was big for me just coming in after Shedeur, just seeing what he’s done to Colorado and what he’s turned it into. It’s definitely a blessing getting put into this position coming after him with his dad. I couldn’t beat it," Lewis said during the show. 

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Lewis said part of the reason for choosing Colorado is that Deion Sanders said that the best players are going to play, giving Lewis potentially the chance to start as a freshman. 

Colorado securing Lewis’ commitment means the Buffaloes are unlikely to aggressively recruit somebody through the transfer portal. 

Sanders' name has been in NFL head coaching rumors, but Lewis' commitment signals that Colorado's head coach might not be departing for the NFL anytime soon.  

Lewis is from Carrollton, Georgia, and recently had an unofficial visit to the Georgia Bulldogs, along with showing interest in Indiana before committing to Colorado. 

Colorado is currently 8-2 and has a path to being in the College Football Playoff. If the No. 16-ranked Buffaloes get a win over Kansas along with a No. 12 BYU loss to No. 21 Arizona State, it would give the Buffaloes the Big 12 lead.

The Big 12 lead would put Colorado in automatic-bid territory. It would be up to the committee to name the Buffaloes a No. 4 seed, but they would still need to win the Big 12 title game to ensure a spot.

Fox News' Ryan Morik contributed to this report. 

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