ESPN staffNov 21, 2024, 12:00 PM ET
Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, the No. 2 recruit in the 2025 ESPN 300, announced his commitment to Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show."
Lewis, who had been committed to USC since August 2023, decommitted from Lincoln Riley's class Sunday. Lewis, from Carrollton, Georgia, had recently been on an unofficial visit to Georgia and showed interest in Indiana.
Ultimately, it was Sanders & Co. who pulled off another recruiting coup. While at Jackson State, Sanders flipped five-star cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter from Florida State in the class of 2022 and did it again the next cycle, getting cornerback Cormani McClain from Miami. Now, with Shedeur Sanders, Deion's son, off to the NFL after this season, the Buffaloes have their QB of the future.
Originally the top recruit in the class of 2026, Lewis reclassified to the 2025 class in January, but he has been regarded as a top recruit since he was in the eighth grade. Lewis, who is 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, is the second-ranked QB in the class behind Bryce Underwood, an LSU commit.
Here's what to know about this big recruiting news with under two weeks until the early signing period begins on Dec. 4:
How good is Lewis and who does he compare to in college football?
Perhaps the most important components to this commitment are the timing of the portal period opening combined with Colorado's success on the field. That could prompt higher-profile, better players to want to go to Colorado, which in turn would give Lewis a better supporting cast as many of the top targets on offense are departing this team.
As far as how Lewis will perform, expect to see more timing and decisiveness from Lewis in offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur's offense. Lewis is a rhythm and timing passer with comparable athletic traits to Shedeur Sanders but is maybe not as resourceful when things break down. Lewis is at his best anticipating and getting the ball out of his hand. He's a right-handed version of Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel. -- Tom Luginbill
What does this mean for Deion's future at Colorado?
On its own, one commitment from a high school player -- however well-regarded he is -- isn't going to impact Sanders' career path in the slightest.
The takeaway here is more about Sanders and his staff's ability to instill confidence in a player of Lewis' caliber that he will be around -- and that's important. It is unlikely Sanders will ever be able to fully escape speculation about his career, so it's natural for recruiting targets to want reassurances related to that. In this case, Lewis was comfortable enough with what he heard about Sanders' future to commit.
But it's also important to understand that if Sanders' circumstances change and he leaves for whatever reason, players are free to transfer without penalty. That dynamic lowers the stakes of any commitment in this era.
Sanders has said publicly on several occasions -- including this week -- that he is happy in Boulder and has no plans to leave. There is no reason to question his happiness at Colorado, but it would also be misguided to take any coach's comments about their future at face value. -- Kyle Bonagura
What's next for Colorado's class?
Lewis is only Colorado's fifth ESPN 300 commitment over the past two cycles. But none looms larger than this one, both for what Lewis could represent for the future and what his pledge could mean for the rest of the program's 2025 class, with the Buffaloes making late-cycle noise.
Prior to Lewis' commitment, Colorado had 10 pledges in the 2025 class, all outside the ESPN 300. Sanders landed the top two members of that group when he flipped UCF defensive tackle pledge Christian Hudson and Arizona State wide receiver commit Adrian Wilson in the span of 48 hours late last month. But Colorado has been hunting for flips recently, and Lewis' commitment should trigger some serious recruiting momentum.
There's growing optimism around the program's chances with Ohio State defensive end pledge London Merritt (No. 52 in the ESPN 300) and outside linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng (No. 81) after the pair of IMG Academy teammates visited Colorado last week. The Buffaloes hosted two more IMG teammates -- four-star Alabama offensive guard pledge Michael Carroll and three-star Oklahoma State defensive end commit Alexander McPherson -- in Week 12, as well. Meanwhile, top-300 offensive tackle Carde Smith reopened his recruitment Wednesday night when he decommitted from USC after three-plus months in the Trojans' class.
With Lewis in the fold, the stage is set for Colorado to finish strong in 2025. -- Eli Lederman
What's next for the schools that missed out?
USC rebounded quickly from Lewis' exit, securing the flip of four-star Texas A&M pledge Husan Longstreet on Nov. 17, minutes after Lewis' decommitment became official. Expect the Trojans to stay active in looking for offensive linemen following Smith's decommitment, and USC could still add a major pledge on defense on Dec. 4 as one of four finalists for five-star defensive end Jahkeem Stewart, No. 11 in the ESPN 300.
Georgia remains the favorite to land five-star defensive tackle Justus Terry (No. 5 in the ESPN 300) and continues to pursue flips of top-300 defenders Tavion Wallace (Arkansas pledge) and Christian Gass (Tennessee). Perhaps most interesting, however, is the Bulldogs' chase for a second quarterback pledge in 2025. Despite a commitment from four-star passer Ryan Montgomery (No. 115 in the ESPN 300), Georgia hosted Lewis in last weekend and plans to host Cal quarterback commit Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele on Nov. 30, while the Bulldogs have also offered Mississippi State pledge KaMario Taylor and Stanford commit Bear Bachmeier in recent weeks.
Indiana's work on the high school recruiting trail should be close to finished. The Hoosiers are up 22 pledges in the 2025 class after they pulled ESPN 300 Byron Baldwin (No. 267) back into their class on Friday following his October decommitment. Coach Curt Cignetti filled his 2024 roster with one-year transfers, so expect Indiana to be active in the portal period, particularly in pursuing quarterbacks with Kurtis Rourke out of eligibility beyond this fall. -- Lederman
