Deciphering what Julian Lewis’ visit to Colorado means

Can Colorado coach Deion Sanders take a step closer this weekend to landing his splashy, flashy recruit in 2025?

On Thursday, it was confirmed that five-star USC quarterback commit Julian Lewis would visit Colorado this weekend for its game against Cincinnati.

This is not Lewis’ first time visiting Colorado which makes one believe there is serious interest in the Buffaloes as the final weeks come to a close before the early signing period.

The Carrollton, Ga., five-star has been committed to the Trojans for more than a year, making his pledge in August 2023.

Since that time, though, his recruitment has taken some different twists and turns as Auburn became a serious contender until Deuce Knight committed. Prior to that, all the chatter was about Lewis flipping to Georgia but then the Bulldogs took a commitment from four-star QB Ryan Montgomery in the spring and that ship sailed.

Over the last few months, the three teams discussed in Lewis’ recruitment were USC, Colorado and Indiana.

There was more than speculation last week that Lewis would be in Bloomington for the Hoosiers’ game against Nebraska on Saturday but last-minute flight arrangements could not be accommodated.

Even after USC’s disappointing 3-4 start, Lewis has remained steadfast in his recruitment.

The Carrollton standout who has completed more than 76 percent of his passes for 2,259 yards with 34 touchdowns and four interceptions so far this season has visited USC twice for games this season.

His relationship with coach Lincoln Riley, the Heisman and first-round quarterback whisperer despite struggles this season, remains very strong. NIL opportunities remain significant for Lewis in that massive media market.

But Colorado provides another level of intrigue.

From talking to sources, the positive is that Sanders has quickly put Colorado back on the map and his Buffaloes are now 5-2 heading into their Cincinnati matchup.

Starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders should be an early first-round NFL Draft pick. Former No. 1 overall prospect Travis Hunter is in the thick of the Heisman Trophy hunt. Lewis thoroughly respects offensive coordinator/position coach Pat Shurmur and his NFL coaching bona fides.

The concerns: After Sanders’ sons leave for the NFL and Hunter goes with him (who is as close to Sanders as his own family), does the Colorado coach look for an off-ramp somewhere else? After his success in Boulder, SEC programs could make it an attractive consideration.

And the second issue could be what does Colorado look like after Shedeur, Hunter and other top transfer stars leave? If Lewis flips to the Buffaloes, will Sanders – whether through the portal and less likely high school recruiting since that has not been the program’s main focus – surround the five-star quarterback with other stars?

Sanders is known for his splashes whether it was flipping Hunter from Florida State to Jackson State on signing day, or the emergence of his son as one of college football’s best quarterbacks or getting five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, who has been phenomenal starting as a freshman.

Could Lewis be next?

This weekend could go a long way to answering that question.