2025 five-star QB Julian "JuJu" Lewis returns to Colorado after Elite 11 Finals

One of the nation's top QBs makes his third visit with Deion Sanders and the Buffs
Oct 20, 2023; Carrollton, GA, USA; Carrollton Trojans quarterback Julian Lewis (10) runs through drills during warmups before their game against the Westlake Lions at Grisham Stadium. The 15-year-old Carrollton High student has already committed to playing for the University of Southern California Trojans and has been considered one of the top high school quarterback prospects. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 2023; Carrollton, GA, USA; Carrollton Trojans quarterback Julian Lewis (10) runs through drills during warmups before their game against the Westlake Lions at Grisham Stadium. The 15-year-old Carrollton High student has already committed to playing for the University of Southern California Trojans and has been considered one of the top high school quarterback prospects. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

All eyes will be on the nation's top prep quarterbacks this week at the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles. One of those attending the invite-only event is Julian "JuJu" Lewis, who will be enroute to Boulder right after the showcase. The 2025 five-star passer will be one of 20 signal-callers from around the country in the three-day scouting competition.

Lewis will make his third visit to Colorado over the past eight months. The task for Coach Prime and the rest of the Buffaloes coaches will be trying to flip the Georgia native from USC. They'll also have to match the energy of other schools trying to sway Lewis away, most notably Auburn, who reportedly pulled out all the stops in an effort to leave a lasting impression this past weekend.

Julian's father, TC, said the difference was clear and they felt appreciated by the "level of community support in eastern Alabama. "Julian walked into one store and took eight pictures. Everyone was excited he was there. That was something obvious," Lewis told On3.

The Carrollton product posted a CU hype video to X (Formerly Twitter) last month and said he'll be on campus starting June 21. He shares the same QB coach, Darrell Colbert, as Shedeur Sanders and has formed a relationship with the Buffs passer. One of the biggest is that Coach Prime will be exiting Boulder after the 2024 season. If Lewis somehow flips from USC and joins the hype with CU, it would be the first step toward establishing a deep 2025 recruiting class.

Lewis sees the field differently and distributes the ball with ease. His compact release allows him to have accurate spirals at all levels of the field. He doesn't launch like a cannon, but can drop balls over coverage well. Lewis is a consensus top 20 recruit and No. 2 QB behind Bryce Underwood, who had CU in his final list of schools but won't be at the Elite 11 Final. We'll see how he looks in the City of Angels for three days with action getting underway Tuesday, June 18.


Published
Josh Tolle
JOSH TOLLE

Josh Tolle is a writer covering college sports for On SI. Outside of storytelling, the multi-talented broadcaster has play-by-play experience at the professional and collegiate levels. In 2018, he began calling games for the National Women’s Soccer League. He has also called games for the United Soccer League, Concacaf, and the U.S. Open Cup. He has called hockey for the Premier Hockey Federation for the past three seasons and was the play-by-play voice for the Superior RoughRiders of the Western Hockey League. He has provided play-by-play for various other sports including football, basketball, baseball and volleyball events. Since 2015, Tolle has been the voice of Colorado School of Mines Athletics having called football, men's and women's basketball and soccer. He previously wrote for SB Nation.