What Pat McAfee Said About Julian Lewis' First Colorado Start on ESPN's College GameDay

With Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis making his first career start on the road against the West Virginia Mountaineers, Pat McAfee previewed his starting debut on ESPN's College GameDay.

Pat McAfee helps to kick off the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival Fan Fest with a live broadcast outside the Pro Football Hall of Fame. July 31, 2025. | Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Colorado Buffaloes have not had much airtime on ESPN's College GameDay during the 2025 season, but the popular morning show took a moment to highlight Colorado freshman Julian "JuJu" Lewis making his first start for the Buffs. Lewis and the Buffaloes are preparing to face the West Virginia Mountaineers on the road, and GameDay analyst Pat McAfee gave his thoughts on the matchup.

Both teams are 3-6 and are fighting for bowl eligibility, but Lewis' star power was enough to earn a mention on College GameDay. Combined with McAfee being a former punter for West Virginia, Lewis and the Buffs got a shoutout on Saturday morning. McAfee was asked if Lewis will win his debut for Colorado during GameDay's "Grab Bag" segment.

"I'm a big fan of JuJu here. He's a stud out of Georgia. I think he threw for like, I don't know, 2000 touchdowns or something like that in high school, outrageous. He obviously got the keys from Shedeur," said McAfee.

Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis speaks with the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

McAfee, however, had a hard time hiding his bias towards the Mountaineers.

"Now, he's making his debut against the West Virginia mountain. and I'll tell you what, I saw the Colorado equipment truck in Morgantown. That thing got stuck three different times, so I know they got the Rockies in Colorado. It ain't nothing compared to the mountains in Morgantown, and I think he has a tall task today with a West Virginia team that might have found its hard edge"

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West Virginia quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. has taken over the offense in the last three games, and he has thrown for 623 yards and four touchdowns on the season. In West Virginia's win over Houston, Fox finished with 157 passing yards and a touchdown.

Nov 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. (15) warms up before playing against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

On the other side, Lewis is a relatively unknown commodity at the college level. His prolific high school career made him a high-profile recruit, and Colorado coach Deion Sanders appears to be taking the training wheels off.

"Coach Prime" and the Buffs have struggled to replace the production of former star quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Can Lewis be the answer for the foreseeable future?

The young Colorado quarterback faces a tall task on the road on Saturday. Lewis and the Buffaloes are six-point underdogs against West Virginia, per DraftKings Sportsbook. Still, McAfee noted the potential of the quarterback play in the Big 12 with Lewis and Fox Jr. leading the way. Additionally, BYU freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier has the Cougars undefeated through eight games so far.

"Big 12 might have the best quarterbacks in the country, to be honest with you, especially for like the next like three years or so," McAfee said.

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