Julian “JuJu” Lewis is reportedly making a major shift in his college commitment, pivoting away from USC and, unexpectedly, not joining Deion Sanders at Colorado, but instead gearing up to play for Hugh Freeze’s Auburn Tigers.
Speculation about this significant recruiting coup has been fueled by Zac Blackerby of Locked on Auburn and Auburn Daily, who, during his time on The Next Round Live, forecasted that Lincoln Riley is set to lose his top 2025 prospect to Auburn. Blackerby noted, “A group of recruits already committed to Auburn are taking their official visits this weekend, partly to convince JuJu Lewis to join them. It’s a concerted effort to add him to their roster as their future quarterback.”
Lewis, who has been seen as a key piece in bolstering the Colorado Buffaloes under Coach Prime (Deion Sanders), now appears to be setting a different collegiate path that veers away from the potential upheaval at Colorado. Many had believed that securing Lewis would keep Coach Prime at Colorado beyond his sons’ tenure at the college, thus averting a potential crisis in 2025 — a year when Deion Sanders might depart, leaving the program in uncertainty.
With Lewis apparently out of the equation, attention in the Colorado camp has now turned towards Jaden O’Neal, as Sanders looks to fill the future quarterback role, albeit with limited options.
The query of what will happen post-Shedeur Sanders at Colorado remains unanswered. Deion Sanders has hinted at potential in Ryan Staub to possibly step in as a starting quarterback, implying that Staub may need to bide his time for one more season before taking the lead in 2025. Others like Walter Taylor III and Destin Wade are considered long shots, and the Buffaloes are expected to explore options through the transfer portal, which already constitutes a significant portion of their roster.
With Deion Sanders potentially reevaluating his strategy post his sons’ departure, the future tactics, especially revolving around the quarterback position and utilization of the team’s NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) budget, remain speculative. The anticipation is that, with significant funds at disposal post-2024, Sanders might aggressively leverage the transfer portal and high school recruiting to rebuild and reinforce the Colorado squad.
JuJu Lewis predicted to flip from USC, but not to Colorado football
Julian “JuJu” Lewis is expected to flip from USC to Auburn, not Deion Sanders’ Colorado football program.
Locked on Auburn and Auburn Daily’s Zac Blackerby predicted Lincoln Riley losing his prized 2025 recruit to Hugh Freeze during an appearance on The Next Round Live.
“Several players that are already committed to Auburn are using this weekend as their official visit so they can spend more time with JuJu Lewis,” Blakcerby prefaced before saying, “This is an all-out push, an all-out effort.
“I think when it’s all said and done, JuJu Lewis will be Auburn’s quarterback.”
Lewis was a recruit thought to be able to give Coach Prime’s better odds of staying with the Buffs beyond 2024, thus avoiding the doomsday scenario 2025 had to offer: a Colorado program that Sanders departs from.
Now, those on the Plains believe Sanders will have to continue to pursue Jaden O’Neal to land a future quarterback recruiting target on his radar. Truth be told, there’s not too many.
Post-Shedeur Sanders plans at Colorado football under center unknown
What Sanders plans to do with Lewis seemingly off the board is unknown. Sanders has shared his belief that Ryan Staub has starter qualities, and if the Los Angeles area product can be patient riding the pine one more season he would be the easiest transition to be QB1 in 2025.
Walter Taylor III and Destin Wade have outside shots. CU also figures to look at portal options, since 80% of the Buffs’ roster will come from there. This comes down to intent.
Does Deion want to go all in on a season after his sons leave? That is the question. Certainly, the NIL budget will open up and he’ll have millions to play with in the portal and high school ranks with his sons and Travis Hunter gone.
But will that be fulfilling for Coach Prime? Without Lewis, who knows?
