The Colorado Buffaloes Player Under the Most Pressure

After the conclusion of the Colorado Buffaloes' spring game, coach Deion Sanders is ready to look ahead to the 2026 college football season, where he hopes to find significant improvement from what his team displayed in 2025.

However, in addition to Sanders, there is one player who could be facing the most pressure heading into the 2026 season.

Julian Lewis May Be The Colorado Player Facing The Most Pressure In 2026 Coach Deion Sanders Brennan Marion Big 12 — Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) throws a pass during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Quarterback Julian Lewis

During the 2025 season, the Buffaloes struggled to find consistent quarterback play while trying several different players, including redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis. However, Lewis did show some flashes, which put him in a position to battle for the starting job in 2026.

During his 2025 campaign with Colorado, Lewis recorded 589 passing yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions while completing 55.3 percent of his passes after appearing in four games and starting in two of those games.

Lewis functions as a point-guard type of quarterback, where he wants to get the ball out quickly to his playmakers and allow them to make plays. In 2025, Lewis and the offense overall struggled to find consistent success, which was a major reason why Colorado struggled to stack wins.

With this in mind, Coach Prime opted to make major changes with the hope of having a very successful 2026 season to help Lewis become the quarterback Colorado needs.

Brennan Marion

One of the biggest changes that the Buffaloes made was bringing in offensive coordinator Brennan Marion to help mentor Lewis.

Marion has experienced success almost everywhere he has gone, which bodes well for a Colorado offense that needs to improve in a major way. As Marion has evolved his offense, his scheme has become centered around getting the ball in space to his playmakers and establishing a physical rushing attack.

Interestingly enough, Marion’s scheme partnered with Lewis’s skill set could be the perfect match and help Colorado find the success they have hoped for.

In addition to the new offensive approach, coach Sanders and the staff have also brought in several weapons for Lewis to find success. The most notable players include wide receivers Danny Scudero and DeAndre Moore Jr., who could become some of the top receivers in college football in this system.

Why Julian Lewis Must Succeed

While Colorado has made great changes, next season ultimately comes down to the performance of Lewis. If Lewis underperforms, the Buffaloes are in a position where they may have to play multiple quarterbacks once again, which is not ideal for team success in 2026.

To find success in a conference like the Big 12, good quarterback play is essential. With several great defenses throughout the conference, Colorado needs to be able to have someone in control of the offense who can make tough throws and help the Buffaloes create consistency on the offensive side of the ball.

During spring, Lewis showed flashes of understanding Marion’s offense and established great chemistry with Scudero, which could be a major help for Lewis as Colorado gets ready for the fall. It is not guaranteed that Lewis will be the starter, but his performance thus far indicates he is in a great position moving forward.

Lewis has been the favorite throughout spring practice, and still does seem to hold that position heading into the fall. If Lewis can perform well next season, he could be Colorado’s answer for 2027 as well while they develop five-star recruit Andre Adams to be his successor.

If Lewis struggles next season, that not only puts Colorado in a poor position to win games, but could force quarterbacks Isaac Wilson and Kaneal Sweetwyne into less than ideal situations.

With Lewis’ game experience in 2025 and the success he found during the spring, Lewis appears to be prepared to lead the Buffaloes into next season. However, if the tougher competition does prove to be too much for Lewis to handle, the quarterback situation for Colorado in the present and the future could be in serious doubt.

As Coach Prime heads into his fourth season with the Buffaloes, there is a significant amount of pressure on Lewis to perform so Colorado can shut down the critics and start to find high-level success on a consistent basis in the Big 12.

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