"He will be in the portal by Year 2": Fans have wild reactions to new Colorado commit JuJu Lewis' comments on getting benched

By Aman Sharma

Modified Dec 19, 2024 15:47 GMT

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JuJu Lewis, the No. 2 overall prospect and top quarterback in the Class of 2025, committed to Deion Sanders’ Colorado program on Nov. 21. However, his stance on competing for the starting role and being benched has fans buzzing.

Lewis made it clear during an appearance on ESPN’s "The Pat McAfee Show":

“I like that I’ll be able to compete right away, I won’t be very happy sitting on the bench. The start as a freshman, I mean, I wouldn't have much fun sitting on the bench. So I was like, I want to come in somewhere I can get a chance to play. So he's going to let me compete for that. That was big for me."

The bold comments drew mixed reactions from fans.

“He’ll be in the portal by Year 2 if he doesn’t start,” one tweeted.

“JuJu has the keys, but having an experienced backup is smart,” another tweeted.

"He's transferring," a fan tweeted.

"Buddy better get used to riding the bench lol portal next year?" Another tweeted.

"Dude ain't going to be the starter," another fan tweeted.

The competition won’t be easy for Lewis. Colorado also secured Kaidon Salter, a seasoned quarterback expected to start for one season while Lewis develops. As noted by On3’s Nick Kosko:

"With Salter in the fold, he’s a logical replacement for the outgoing and NFL-bound . As it stands, Salter could be the one-year gap quarterback with experience while Colorado develops incoming five-star."

Although Lewis plans to enroll early in January.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to get to work and compete," Lewis shared with ESPN. "Colorado wasn't recruiting me until I reclassed, so it really was perfect timing. This is only the beginning. I trust Coach Prime."

Lewis’ commitment marks another milestone for Sanders, who previously flipped Travis Hunter, the No. 2 prospect in 2022, to Jackson State.

Deion Sanders praises five-star QB JuJu Lewis as the future of Colorado football

Deion Sanders is excited about five-star quarterback Julian Lewis joining Colorado, viewing him as the ideal successor to his son, Shedeur Sanders. While Lewis may not start immediately due to the transfer of Kaidon Salter, Sanders praised the similarities between Lewis and Shedeur.

“I think smart coaches at this level understand what has worked for them, and they try their best to replicate that,” Sanders said. “Shedeur’s worked really well for us. He has a wonderful father in his life. I saw a lot of similarities in the way Julian’s life has been structured, speaking to his father multitude of times, understanding how he came up, what he wants out of life. The similarities are unbelievable.”

Sanders tends to recruit players who embody leadership and winning qualities, and Lewis checks every box.

"He’s everything that we desire in a quarterback," Sanders said. "He’s smart, he could throw, make, every throw. He has pocket awareness, pocket presence. He is a darn leader, but most of all, he’s a winner. People forget that category when you look at the quarterback."

Lewis has amassed an impressive 10,677 passing yards and 142 touchdowns while maintaining an average of 254.2 yards per game. Completing 706 of 1,023 pass attempts, he has thrown only 19 interceptions.