JuJu Lewis, the five-star recruit Colorado went all in for, didn’t see a single snap in the Buffs’ ugly 29-7 loss to No. 12 Texas Tech. Even wilder? Coach Deion Sanders is out here saying Lewis absolutely was NOT demoted to third string, no matter what your eyes told you from the sideline.
The Game Day QB Mess Was Real
Look, the QB situation against Texas Tech was a flat-out disaster. Isaac Wilson, who replaced Lewis during Colorado’s earlier loss to Baylor, got the start. And man, he struggled, throwing four second-half interceptions. Four! Then Kaneal Sweetwyne saw some action, attempting two passes and completing one for a measly seven yards. So when a reporter, looking at the entire share of playing time, pointed out that it sure seemed like Lewis was the team’s No. 3 QB, Sanders just shut it down. “I would love JuJu to come in here and he tell you what happens,” Sanders said. “So don’t, ‘you bench JuJu first to third string?’ No that’s not what went down.” Except, he didn’t say what *did* go down. And Lewis wasn’t even made available to reporters after the game. Talk about a tight lip.
Coach Prime’s Dodgy Explanation
“It didn’t happen like that,” was all Sanders would offer about Lewis’s absence. It’s wild because we all remember when Lewis committed to the Buffaloes at the end of the 2024 season. That was when Colorado was at peak hype, fresh off a 9-4 year where Shedeur Sanders was slinging it and Travis Hunter was winning the Heisman. Lewis was a five-star recruit, the No. 3 QB in his high school class, and was so important that Colorado protected a potential redshirt for him in the 2025 season using the NCAA’s five-in-five rule. He saw playing time in their “lost 2025 season,” but they sat him to keep him under five games. That’s how crucial this kid was considered! Now he’s on the bench, and Deion’s getting all defensive about it. “JuJu didn’t play today, my man. So I’m not doing that. I’m not going to badger the kid, I’m not going to say nothing derogatory for the kid, he didn’t play today, Brian, like, come on.” You’re the coach, Deion! You made the call to bench him and not put him in. Of course people are going to ask!
The Quarterback Carousel Never Stops
Sanders tried to pivot, saying he’s “worried about our team and winning” and that you can’t “single out one kid.” But let’s be real, the facts speak for themselves. Lewis was 11-of-16 for 75 yards before getting pulled in Week 4 against Baylor, and in Week 3 he was 19-of-29 for 168 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in a loss to Northwestern. Colorado has been scrambling for consistent quarterback play ever since Shedeur Sanders played his last game. There hasn’t been much patience to find it, either. Lewis was one of three quarterbacks who started games for Colorado just last season, and Deion already made his first starting QB change of this year. This whole situation just screams instability.
Colorado is in a tough spot trying to figure out this quarterback mess. With a high-profile recruit like Lewis on the sideline and the coach refusing to give straight answers, you gotta wonder what’s really going on behind the scenes. This QB search ain’t getting any easier, and it’s definitely something to keep an eye on as they try to get this season turned around.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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