Colorado Buffaloes starting freshman quarterback, Julian Lewis, playing against Arizona State University on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025(Remi Krupinski/CU Independent).
All good things must come to an end. For Colorado’s five-star quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis, his freshman season will end before it truly gets going. Head coach Deion Sanders announced Tuesday that Lewis will utilize his redshirt for the 2025 season, bringing his year to a close.
“I’ve made a decision that [Lewis] is going to redshirt,” Sanders said. “That’s my decision.”
In four games this year, Lewis completed 55% of his passes for 589 yards and four passing touchdowns without turning the ball over, including a 299-yard, two touchdown game in his first collegiate start against West Virginia earlier this year.
Athletes are allowed to play in up to four games while still preserving their redshirt, and by sitting out of Saturday’s matchup against Kansas State, Lewis will have played exactly four this season. This move allows Lewis an extra year of eligibility and signals to the college football world that the Buffaloes will be building around Lewis for the future.
“I want what’s best for the kid, what’s best for his family,” Sanders said. “I think for the program, it’s best for everyone.”
Lewis has maintained that he plans to stay in the black and gold after flipping his commitment from USC to Colorado at the end of last year.
“I’m a Buff through and through,” Lewis said following the Buffs’ 42-17 loss to Arizona State. “I don’t got no reason to go.”
Fifth-year senior Kaidon Salter will be the starting quarterback in Manhattan as the Buffs suit up against the Kansas State Wildcats in his last college game. Coach Prime has cashed in his chips and started looking towards the future after a disappointing 3-8 2025 campaign.
Lewis showed some fight and maturity in just four short appearances this season.
“I’m not going to say he was happy because he’s a competitor and he wants to compete, he wants to play,” Sanders said.
“Nothing’s better than live reps, so it’s good I’m getting these reps early,” Lewis said. “I’m just trying to keep all the guys I can here for next year so we can do what we need to do.”
Junior tight end Zach Atkins, another young player within the Colorado organization, remains confident in the offense’s ability to function without Lewis’ skillset.
“We switch quarterbacks a lot, so I’m used to everyone and how everyone plays differently,” Atkins said. “Whoever’s that quarterback, I have 100% faith in them.”
Colorado (3-8, Big 12 1-7) kicks off their season finale against the Kansas State Wildcats (5-6, Big 12 4-4) on Saturday, Nov. 29. The game will be streamed live on FS1 with kickoff set for 10 a.m. MT.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jake Chau at jake.chau@colorado.edu.
