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The Future of Colorado Football – Part One
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The signing of quarterback Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis last December was a huge coup for Coach Prime and the Colorado football program.
Not only did Lewis presumably fill a void left by the departure of a quarterback who set over 100 school records in just two seasons in Boulder, but the signing helped to quell fears in the Buff Nation that Coach Prime was leaving Boulder anytime soon.
Julian Lewis is the highest-rated high school quarterback ever to sign with the University of Colorado. A five-star recruit, Lewis was listed as the No. 10 overall Class of 2025 recruit in the nation by Rivals; the No. 12 overall recruit by ESPN.
On the 247 Sports list of all-time CU recruits, Lewis comes in at No. 6, behind the likes of Buff running backs Darrell Scott and Marcus Houston … as well as Jordan Seaton (No. 3), Coach Prime’s landmark recruit from the Recruiting Class of 2024.
Despite the hype of having a potential game-changer at quarterback in Lewis, Coach Prime went with senior Kaidon Salter as his starter to open the season. Other schools, notably Michigan (Bryce Underwood) and BYU (Bear Bachmeier) went with their true freshman quarterbacks, but Coach Prime was reluctant.
For much of the fall, Coach Prime repeated the line: “JuJu will be coming around the mountain when he comes.”
The Ju Ju train, whether intentionally or unintentionally, sped up during the debacle which was the Arizona game. Kaidon Salter was yanked at halftime with the Buffs down 38-7. Backup Ryan Staub then threw two interceptions in two attempts to open the second half.
Enter Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis.
Lewis held his own against the Wildcats, going 9-for-17 for 121 yards and a touchdown (with a 75-yard touchdown pass being called back by penalty), also running the ball (read: scrambling) for 27 yards on nine carries.
Lewis was also playing against a softer Arizona defense, with the Wildcats comfortably up, 45-7, by the time Lewis entered the game.
“He got the ball out in certain situations,” Coach Prime said of Lewis’ performance against Arizona. “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”.
Lewis was then officially given the keys to the kingdom, making his first start on the road against West Virginia. The Buffs lost the game, 29-22, but may well have unleashed their quarterback of the future.
Lewis went 22-for-35 for 299 yards and two touchdowns, despite being harassed (seven sacks) all afternoon.
“It felt good out there,” Lewis stated. “The offense was dominating, executing on the run and pass. The O-line was blocking well up front. It was going exactly how I expected and wanted.
“It felt amazing playing football again,” Lewis continued. “But of course, it hurts to lose. We have to play better.”
Lewis spread the ball around, hitting eight different receivers on the day, with Omarion Miller leading the way. Miller had six catches for 131 yards and a touchdown, marking his third career 100-yard receiving effort. The Buffs, playing without standout offensive lineman Jordan Seaton up front, still finished with 350 total yards on offense, its most since totaling 395 in their win over Iowa State.
“Guys stepped up,” Lewis noted. “Guys stepped up this week that didn’t expect to play. I’m grateful that they did their thing. I just got to do better next time.”
With Lewis given the keys to the Colorado offense, presumably for the remainder of the season, there is renewed hope that Lewis, and other talented players on the team, may stick around for the 2026 season.
If the mantra in real estate is “location, location, location”, the mantra for the Colorado coaching staff for the 2026 roster, at least in the near term, has to be “retention, retention, retention”.
Coach Prime has never shied away from his philosophy that you only want about 20 percent of your roster to be true freshmen. Colorado has consistently signed the smallest recruiting Classes in the Big 12 the past few seasons. The 2023 Class had 21 members; the 2024 Class had 12; and the 2025 Class had 15. CU’s Recruiting Class of 2026, scheduled to sign in mid-December, currently has 12 commits.
That’s fine if you consistently hit on your transfers, and your small freshman Class sticks around and develops.
Unfortunately, CU has had difficulty on both fronts.
Some of the highest rated transfers enrolling at CU this past winter have failed to pan out as stars. Defensive lineman Jahiem Oatis, from Alabama, was the highest-rated transfer, but Oatis has started only one game, and has only eight tackles to his credit this season. Other four-star transfers, like wide receivers Hykeem Williams and Sincere Brown, and defensive back Noah King, have failed, for various reasons, to live up to expectations.
And CU has had difficulty developing – and retaining – its freshmen.
In its “Game Notes” for the West Virginia game, CU actually touted its success in recruiting and developing its freshman classes:
A lot is often made of CU’s success in the transfer portal, but the players who come to Boulder out of high school have been just as impactful. In fact, every player signed out of high school from the 2023 and ’24 classes still on the roster has not only contributed but has started or is expected to start this week. Including the Spring and Fall 2025 classes, that number grows by five for a total of 15 overall. The list includes Ryan Staub (S23); Isaiah Hardge, Omarion Miller, and Carter Stoutmire (F23); Brandon Davis-Swain, Jordan Seaton, and Micah Welch (S24); Yahya Attia, Kam Mikell and Dre’Lon Miller (F24); and from the most recent class, Quannell Farrakahn Jr., Quinton Gibson, Julian Lewis, Alexander McPherson and London Merritt.
While not diminishing the accomplishments of those named, the key phrase in the above paragraph is “still on the roster“. Yes, 15 freshmen recruits have contributed, but that means 33 freshmen recruits from the past three seasons are already gone from the roster. Missing from the list are names like running back Dylan Edwards (who found success at Kansas State before being injured this fall – and now reentering the Transfer Portal), cornerback Cormani McClain (Florida), offensive lineman Isaiah Yatta (BYU).
The future of Colorado football may well rest on how many on the current roster are still on the roster come spring practices. With only one Transfer Portal window this off-season (January 2nd – 16th), how many Buffs are still with the team on January 17th will go a long ways in determining whether the Colorado program can bounce back from yet another bowl-less season.
Tops on the list of necessary returnees is Julian Lewis. After Coach Prime himself, there is no other player who is as vital to the immediate future of the program than is its star freshman quarterback.
If Lewis leaves, it almost doesn’t matter who Coach Prime brings in as a replacement. The promise and hope which came with Lewis coming to Boulder will have been lost, and the naysayers will all have been proven correct … Coach Prime can’t build a program at the University of Colorado.
For his part (see post-game press conference, below), Lewis is saying all of the right things, including that he doesn’t care about burning a red-shirt season by playing in the remaining games this season (players can play in four games without losing their redshirt season. With the Delaware, Arizona, and West Virginia games, Lewis has now played in three games – with two remaining). Lewis also said he would forego any trips home during the bye week, preferring to stay in Boulder and watch more film in preparation for CU’s final home game against Arizona State.
There are plenty of other headwinds working against Colorado going forward. With the bye week, we’ll be exploring “The Future of Colorado Football”, both in the near- and long-term.
But, before we can worry about January and beyond, we have to worry about the now.
And the now centers upon the development – and on-field success – of freshman quarterback Julian Lewis in the next three weeks.
The future of Colorado football, for better or worse, now rests in the hands of an 18-year old quarterback.
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Julian Lewis talks with the press after the West Virginia game …
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7 Replies to “The Future of CU Football – Part One”
Great article Stuart. Although we lost, it was great to see Juju do his thing. I always wonder what the true hit rate is for HS Recruits–I surmise it is 50% or below with diminishing returns the larger the class. For places like GA, Ohio State and others they have the depth, thus a luxury to bet the long-term.
No doubt, Prime’s HS classes are small. In Prime’s defense, he has really only had 2 high school recruiting classes given he was hired in December 2022, but they have some big name flips. We do have to remember for 24′ and 25′ classes those guys are still Frosh/Soph, so except for guys that departed CU might(?) have some guys that can contribute later, but some have moved on.
23′ Class: I sort of discount that 23′ class since it was so late, but they have had some contributors and that class was part of the overall roster turnover. I discount it in depth, not the blue chips. Realistically, Prime & Co. had so much going on during that early transition period and early signing was mostly done when Prime arrived, I regard it as a salvage class of sorts. They closed with some big names. Cormani was a disappointment, as he was so touted/expected to play, however in truth he really needed to RS season just to grow and mature, rather than being thrown in the fire as a starting True-Frosh CB. IMO, CM screwed up but the expectations probably just too high. I think he is a pretty decent P-4 player now. Maybe I’m wrong but Jatta (Snow College) was a JUCO and we missed. Dylan Edwards was a disappointing transfer, but he is now onto his 3rd team now.
24′ Class: in hindsight I think that it should have been much bigger class. However, we were again changing coordinators (Prime can take blame for this) and AC’s, so the stability to HS recruit was not a priority. Again we went portal heavy, but scrabbled a 9-4 season. 4 of the big HS 5 have played. Seaton and Welch have fully delivered, Drelon and Mikell somewhat, but still young. Davis-Swain is now playing, but that was a decent DLine to crack. Attia may be diamond. I think Omar White might be doing time. Hoped Garcia (LB) would have developed but gone. Brandon Hood went with his brother, however losing Colten Hood was the big loss.
The 25′ class is interesting because we have red-shirted some great recruits, with a few OL and a LB. It is a larger class, but not huge. They have got some great play out of a some guys–Merritt, McPhearson, Juju etc… I’m not sure with Hudson. Noah King would be slotted in this class, thus unless he is not with the team, I would see him as a RS/ltd action not as a bust. The only True Frosh I remember ready to play CB day 1 at CU was the #2 Deon Figures and there was a reason he was not hazed as a frosh.
Patience for both the HS Recruits and fans is a necessary, although these days patience is in short supply. I am confident CU will be portal heavy yet again, but maybe also break through with some late HS recruits. Not in a bowl, might give us some extra time to focus on this aspect. Remember, for HS recruits Prime does his closing in Feb, not Dec. Also, compared to 23′ we have sort of trended somewhat younger in the portal each year, nevertheless the portal is always SR/Grad heavy.
I do wonder what lies forward. I thought this would be a rebuilding year just given all the losses from last year. It occurred to be that maybe some of the older guys not playing are RS or Injury 6th year waiver candidates?? Either way, Prime will need to circle the wagons going forward and we need progress next year.
I am concerned about the linebacker freshman, the fact that we have not even seen him makes me wonder. The lb play is so atrocious a freshman wouldn’t halve been too bad.
Lewis played well after he got going. The first quarter was rough and it didn’t look good, but Lewis seemed to find his way and the Buffs scored in the next three quarters and the one fumble by the receiver after a big gain may have been the difference in another score for the Buffs.
The line played well enough to see Lewis improve through the game, but the yards loss to sacks and drives killed are the difference in winning the game. Maybe with Seaton back we will see better, but ASU is going to be tougher than WV.
I am excited to see if Lewis can use the last two games as a spring board for next season; some of his longer passes were dropped right into his receiver’s hands. If he can keep that up and develop good chemistry, maybe those guys see a value in staying around too.
For the last three seasons two or three teams in the Big12 have gone from 4 or 5 wins in the previous year to double that the next year. Why can’t the Buffs?
If Prime can keep the right players and bring in new help too.
I also am surprised that Leftwich isn’t calling plays. What are your thoughts Stuart?
Julian sounds pretty bought into Deion, his teammates and CU, to me.
Go Buffs
Stuart: Is Byron Leftwich still with the program? Wouldn’t he be a logical new offensive coordinator?
Is there some reason we’re not hearing about him?
Excellent question
I could hear Willie and Dandy Don singing “turn out the lights…..” by the late hour of shurmur’s demotion. Who is going to take his place? Its a bye week. Will anyone install a little more diversity into the offense? All season it has been an opposing DC’s dream. After all the redundancy some new wrinkles may come as enough shock to put ASU and KSU on their heels enough to eke out some wins.
I read somewhere (here?) that Lewis has his NIL portfolio fairly well organized. I’m sure there is a lot more money out there especially for Seaton who could draw top dollar.
Bottom line is the Buffs need some new energy and success to make these guys feel confident about next year to keep them around. Not to mention the current commits. Two more good wins and and a sparkling offense might encourage some bigger donors to fatten up some player’s wallets.
As bad as this season has been the program may still be at a tipping point. Hope for the best but not really expecting much otherwise unless there is some really fresh blood in the coaching staff.
I belithat he went home to be with his kid that was having health issues. If that’s the case, he has more important things on his mind and thoughts to his family.