Deion Sanders reveals Julian Lewis will start final three games, burn redshirt
Julian Lewis will start the final three games of the season for Colorado, effectively burning his redshirt, per head coach Deion Sanders via Jared Greenberg. Lewis will make his first collegiate start against West Virginia on Saturday.
After Saturday, Colorado will be on its bye but Lewis will continue to call signals against Arizona State and Kansas State. The move comes during a pivotal point in Colorado’s schedule. Currently, the Buffaloes are 3-6 overall and have to win all three games to qualify for bowl eligibility.
Lewis, who was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2025, has made appearances in two games this season. He’s completed 11-21 passes for 129 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. That gives him a total of five appearances this
His promotion to starter comes following disappointing play from fellow quarterbacks Kaidon Salter and Ryan Staub. Now, the freshman is finally getting his chance to prove himself at the college level.
“He’s been having some decent practices,” Sanders said of Lewis during Wednesday’s Coaches Show “He’s just got to learn the pace of the game. These guys are much faster than the high school guys. They make great reads and they understand tendencies. He has to study his butt off, which he’s been doing, and make the proper reads and get the ball out of there.”
Sanders said that he expects Lewis to make “young kid mistakes,” but that it’s on him and his staff to get him up to speed on playing with the starters. He’s looking for Lewis to make quick reads and get the ball out of his hands or scramble when he’s feeling pressure. Most importantly:
“Just be himself,” Sanders said. “Just do what you’ve been doing your whole life.”
Sanders has noticed that Lewis has become more communicative in the locker room. That’s translated onto the practice field, as Lewis has been directing his teammates on offense. The Buffaloes will hope to see that on game day against West Virginia in Morgantown on Saturday.
Kickoff for the Week 11 matchup in the Big 12 Conference is set for Noon ET. The game will air live on TNT and HBO Max.
