Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis is heading into his second season in Boulder. The redshirt freshman is projected to be the starter under center when the Buffs kick off the season against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Thursday, Sept.3. 

Lewis is getting reading for what looks to be a big opportunity for himself and his team in a non-conference showdown. Colorado could use a strong start to the season.

Julian Lewis Preparing for Season Opener

Colorado is preparing for the season opener in about two weeks against Georgia Tech. The redshirt freshman Lewis is putting in the work during practice, like on this touchdown throw. 

Lewis signed with Colorado as a member of their 2025 high school recruiting class. 247Sports rated him as a four-star recruit and ranked him as the No. 10 quarterback in the 2025 class. Lewis ended up seeing the field in 2025 for the Buffaloes, but didn’t start right away.

Colorado gave the starting job to transfer quarterback Kaidon Salter to get the 2025 season underway. Salter had his ups and downs throughout the season, which resulted in multiple quarterback changes. 

Overall, Lewis played in four games as a true freshman and even got the starting nod in two late season games against the West Virginia Mountaineers and Arizona State Sun Devils. In total in these four games, Lewis threw for 589 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. 

After his fourth game, Colorado coach Deion Sanders had seen enough out of Lewis to not have him play in the final game of the season to preserve a redshirt year. This meant Lewis would not lose a year of eligibility.

Colorado comes into 2026 fresh off a three-win 2025. Things do not go well to say the least last season, as Colorado beat just one FBS team all year long. The offense never was able to get a rhythm. They averaged just 20.9 points per game, which ranked 116 out of 136 FBS teams last season. 

The Buffs made a big move in the offseason, hiring former Sacramento State Hornets coach Brennan Marion as offensive coordinator. Marion was at Sac State for just one season in 2025, leading the Hornets to a record of 7-5. His offense averaged 33.8 points per game. The year before Marion got there in 2024, Sac State went 3-9. 

Marion is most known for his go-go offense. This up-tempo style offense features the quarterback in the shotgun with two running backs in the backfield. It worked well at Sac State and Coach Prime hope that it translates to Big 12 football. 

The sky is the limit for Lewis if he can fit in and run the Marion offense well.

This is going to be the fourth season under Deion Sanders for Colorado. So far, the Coach Prime era has had its ups and down. The Buffs have gained national attention, becoming one of the most talked about teams in the country. When it comes to wins and losses, Colorado has an overall record of 16-21 under Sanders. 

Will the Buffs get back to a bowl game in 2026?

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