Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham Shares History With Colorado Quarterback Julian Lewis

On Saturday, Colorado Buffaloes true freshman quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis will face off against one of the many Power Four coaches who recruited him out of Carrollton High School in Georgia.

Now the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils, Kenny Dillingham still remembers recruiting Lewis to Eugene while he was the offensive coordinator at Oregon. Dillingham's Ducks offered Lewis in April 2022, about six months before the 2024 Big 12 Coach of the Year took the head job at Arizona State.

This weekend's matchup between Colorado and Arizona State will be somewhat of a full-circle moment and a reminder of what could've been. While Lewis was initially committed to the USC Trojans before flipping to Colorado last November, he's now heading into his second career start against a coach who once recruited him.

"He's a guy that I recruited for a little bit at Oregon, and he's a really good player," Dillingham said of Lewis earlier this week, per ASU. "You can tell he can locate the ball well, especially vertically down the field. That showed up in the West Virginia game when he played, is his ability to throw the ball vertically down the field."

Kenny Dillingham's Comments on Colorado

Arizona State Kenny Dillingham History Colorado Julian Lewis Buffaloes Quarterback Football Sun Devils Deion Sanders Big 12 — Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham holds a news conference on Oct. 27, 2025, in Tempe. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dillingham, who has led Arizona State to a 7-3 record, also shared his thoughts on the 3-7 Buffs as a whole. Despite some recent lopsided losses, Colorado hasn't lost its fight in the eyes of ASU's third-year leader.

"This is a team that plays hard, and I think it shows up," Dillingham said. "They've had games that didn't go great and they've had games where they beat good teams. We're no different. We're here and then here and then here and then here, we can't just be good an entire game. It's definitely a team that's dangerous."

Last time out, Colorado lost to West Virginia, 29-22, in Lewis' first career start. The former five-star prospect threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns despite a poor showing from his offensive line.

Coach Deion Sanders, who beat Dillingham two years ago during Colorado and Arizona State's final season in the Pac-12 Conference, has experienced an overall rough season in Boulder. Former starting quarterback Kaidon Salter largely struggled before giving way to Lewis, and Colorado's defense ranks 15th in the Big 12 Conference in yards allowed per game (420.7).

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Julian Lewis Set To Battle Sun Devils

Lewis will face a talented Arizona State defense on Saturday in his first career start at Folsom Field. Anchored by linebacker Keyshaun Elliott (82 total tackles, five sacks) and defensive back Keith Abney II (36 total tackles, 11 passes defended), the Sun Devils allow 23.6 points per game.

Kickoff on Saturday is set for 6 p.m. MT on ESPN2.