Top 2025 QB recruit Julian Lewis' flip from USC to Colorado, explained

11/21/2024 01:57 PM

How did we get to this point and what does this move mean for the college football programs who were hoping to get the talented QB?

In arguably the biggest shift with the 2025 recruiting class, five-star quarterback Julian Lewis has committed to the Colorado Buffaloes, he announced on The Pat McAfee Show Thursday.

Lewis, rated the No. 2 player in the 2025 class by ESPN, had long been committed to the USC Trojans, having verbally pledged to head coach Lincoln Riley's team in August of 2023.

However, as the summer came along, a string of interest from top programs began to truly materialize, with Lewis taking official visits with the Trojans, Buffaloes, Indiana Hoosiers and Auburn Tigers, whom were all in search of an elite quarterback in the 2025 class.

The Georgia Bulldogs also had interest in the in-state recruit, with Lewis heading out to Athens for a game this past weekend. However, at the end of the day, the buzz with the Buffaloes was too much to pass up on for the Carrolton, Georgia native, as Lewis is heading to Boulder in one of the biggest recruiting swings of the 2025 class.

How did we get to this point and what does this move mean for the programs involved?

Lewis's recruitment

As mentioned above, Lewis was an early commit to USC, having pledged there back on August 22, 2023, to serve as the next big quarterback for head coach Lincoln Riley.

The move made sense for both parties, as Lewis was going to be the next five-star recruit in Riley's two-year cycle, following former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson, who was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2023.

Of course, that plan didn't fully materialize for the Trojans, as Nelson transferred after his freshman year, leading USC to land Jayden Maiava in the transfer portal and go with him and Miller Moss as the top options for the 2024 season.

Nonetheless, Riley prioritized a top signal-caller in the Class of 2025 to serve as the heir apparent in USC's quarterback chain, following No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, who left for the NFL Draft after last season.

Lewis quickly emerged as that candidate, re-classifying from the Class of 2026 and forgoing his senior season to enter college one year early and get a quicker chance to compete at the next level.

Initially, several blue-blood schools were involved for the five-star; USC, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, Ohio State, Texas A&M and LSU comprising of his top eight schools prior to the early commitment.

Lewis ultimately picked the Trojans, but it was clear that there was still work to be done to truly land the five-star quarterback, as the Georgia native was still visiting other schools on game day visits.

Colorado began to enter the picture at the beginning of the year, getting Lewis down for a Junior Day visit, where the interest truly started to build between the two sides.

The Buffaloes had a clear opening at their quarterback spot, as starter Shedeur Sanders is expected to enter the 2025 NFL Draft, where he is currently projected as a top-10 pick.

That relationship continued to grow through the summer, with Lewis taking an official visit to Boulder before returning to campus this fall for another game day visit.

Ultimately, the desire to play early and the intrigue that Colorado provided with its high-octane offense was too much to pass up, prompting Lewis to de-commit from USC on Sunday and commit to Colorado on Thursday.

The cards cleared up before his de-commitment, as USC moved to flip five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet from Texas A&M, securing their quarterback of the cycle as the Buffaloes shored up their position as well.

"It was big for me just coming in after Shedeur [Sanders] just seeing what he's done to Colorado and what he's turned it into," Lewis said upon committing to Colorado. "It's definitely a blessing getting put in this position after him and with his dad, I couldn't beat it.

"Coach Prime's always said the best man's going to play and that's really what I wanted was to be able to come in and compete to start as a freshman. I wouldn't have much fun sitting on the bench so I want to come in with somewhere I can get a chance to play, so he's going to let me compete for that and that was big for me."

Of course, Lewis will have to earn his spot as a freshman, which isn't a guarantee, as seen with former five-star Cormani McClain, a former top recruit who ended up leaving Colorado after one season. However, the quarterback position has the inside track to earning his spot early in Boulder, and could follow Sanders's footsteps.

What's next?

It's clear that Shedeur Sanders is expected to depart after this season, but there have been questions about head coach Deion Sanders and whether he'd entertain an NFL head coaching opportunity if one arises this offseason.

Sanders has repeatedly denied that, which makes sense as he seems best fit to be a leader of a college program. Landing a five-star recruit with Lewis' star power only furthers the idea that the head coach will remain in Boulder past this season, so let's look at what could be next for the Buffaloes.

Like they've done in recent years, Colorado is looking to make some noise in the 2025 cycle late, with the early signing period coming on December 4th.

They currently have 11 commits in their 2025 class, with Lewis leading the way as the lone five-star, while there are several four-star recruits in the group as well.

But, Colorado is still actively recruiting a number of high-profile players. Among the top of the group is five-star linebacker Nathanial Owusu-Boateng, who remains one of the highest uncommitted recruits in the 2025 class. He was on campus last week, as was four-star defensive end London Merritt, who is currently committed to Ohio State.

Additionally, the highest-profile recruit remaining for the Buffaloes is five-star Alabama offensive lineman Michael Carroll, who recently visited Colorado, with all three recruits hailing from IMG Academy.

With the transfer portal likely being a source of talent yet again, the Buffaloes could be in for a big 2025 offseason, as they're looking to build a strong recruiting class late to shore up the rest of their roster.

Overall, the addition of Lewis should help Colorado in their pursuits of some top recruits, with less than two weeks left till the early signing period.