Two Key Quarterback Matchups for Colorado Buffaloes' Julian Lewis

As the Colorado Buffaloes prepare for next season, one of the interesting aspects to watch may be the performance of redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis as he is expected to start for Colorado in 2026. Last season, Lewis gained valuable experience as a starting quarterback as he played in four games and started in two of those games.

In the opportunities that Lewis did have in 2025, he recorded 589 passing yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions, while completing 55.3 percent of his passes. Heading into next season, Lewis will have a new offensive coordinator with coach Deion Sanders bringing in Brennan Marion to call the offense. With Marion now running the offense, Lewis could be set for a great showing and could become a solid Big 12 quarterback.

With Lewis expected to enter his first season as the starter, here are two interesting quarterback matchups for Lewis and the Buffaloes.

Two Most Interesting Quarterback Matchups For Julian Lewis Next Season DJ Lagway Baylor Will Hammond Texas Tech Big 12 — Nov 22, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) throws the ball before a game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

DJ Lagway, Baylor Bears

Early on in the season, Colorado has a tough test as the Buffaloes go on the road to play the Baylor Bears and quarterback DJ Lagway.

Following the 2025 season, Lagway transferred to Baylor after playing the previous two seasons for the Florida Gators. During Lagway’s career at Florida, he struggled with injuries at times and also had turnover issues. From 2024 to 2025 with Florida, Lagway totaled 4,179 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, and completed 62 percent of his passes. Lagway also adds a rushing element to Baylor's offense after recording 237 yards and one touchdown on the ground with Florida.

There is no question that at Baylor, Lagway must find a way to clean up his turnovers and be available every week. The Bears could struggle, and he may lose his starting spot. To help Lagway develop as a quarterback, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda was able to bring in Jake Spavital in an effort to help Lagway play to his strengths and limit his turnovers.

Similar to Baylor, the Buffaloes will have a new offensive coordinator in Marion and are trying to develop a younger quarterback in Lewis. This game for Lewis will be an interesting one as it is the first conference game for Colorado in 2026, and it will be on the road, which could be a tough test for Lewis.

To help Lewis, Marion will most likely lean on his philosophy of establishing a physical rushing attack and getting the ball out in space to playmakers. With this offensive attack, Marion has found great success and should be able to find similar success with Lewis based on his skill set as a point guard-type quarterback with the ability to get the ball out quickly and give Colorado’s playmakers opportunities to create explosive plays.

As Colorado heads into this game, the performance of Lewis in his first conference game under Marion will be something to monitor, and if he can play well, the Buffaloes could become one of the more dangerous teams in the Big 12.

Will Hammond, Texas Tech Red Raiders

The very next week, Colorado is set for a matchup at Folsom Field against the Texas Tech Red Raiders and potentially a quarterback that many college football fans did not expect to be making the start in Will Hammond.

Based on the off-field issues surrounding quarterback Brendan Sorsby, it seems that Texas Tech will be forced to go in a different direction at quarterback, which is why it seems likely that Hammond could step into a starting role. Last season, with Behren Morton having some injury concerns, Hammond was able to step in and was solid for the Red Raiders.

In the games that Hammond played for the Red Raiders, he was a solid dual-threat quarterback as he recorded 680 passing yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions, and completed 63.3 percent of his passes in addition to adding 299 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. However, Hammond did suffer a torn ACL last season against Oklahoma State, which ended his season, but coach Joey McGuire said that Hammond should be ready for the start of the 2026 season.

For Lewis, this is a great opportunity to prove that he can compete against one of the top teams in the Big 12. There is no doubt that Texas Tech will have a great defense, but Marion’s ability to create a good game plan and Lewis’s ability to execute that game plan could be the difference for the Buffaloes. With Colorado having the home-field advantage, Lewis should feel comfortable and could have his best game yet.

While many college football games do come down to quarterback play, this game especially will, with the uncertainty that Texas Tech has, and Lewis is projected to enter his first season as the starter for Colorado.

So, if Lewis can use the home crowd to his advantage and make Texas Tech uncomfortable, that could help the Buffaloes to pull out a huge Big 12 victory and potentially work toward becoming bowl eligible.

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