There’s no time to place hope on only one person when the future of Colorado football depends on this very circumstance. Deion Sanders and the Buffs just need to take the chances as they dwell on this QB dilemma. With Shedeur Sanders set to enter the 2025 NFL Draft, the Buffs HC is pressured to find a worthy replacement for his son to lead the program next year. Now, 5-star QB Julian Lewis has been their top target this offseason. They tried recruiting him in many ways but the USC commit’s final decision is still shrouded in mystery.

This has brought Colorado to where they are now, trying to woo one of Kalen DeBoer’s top commits. On October 12, Josh Newberg was joined by Steve Wiltfong in his new YouTube episode on On3 Recruits where they talked about Colorado’s recruiting trial. Julian Lewis’ ambiguity has led Deion Sanders to take the next step in the QB pursuit by targeting a 5-star Alabama commit. As Wiltfong reported, “Last week, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur went out to Duncanville, Texas and watched Keelon Russell practice.”

Per the report, it could be a “tough flip” but “there has been dialogue and Colorado is trying to get him to campus as well.” Keelon Russell committed to Kalen DeBoer and Alabama after decommitting from SMU with the hope of getting highly drafted in the NFL, because that’s what Alabama does; it develops first-round picks to the draft. He’s now one of the four 5-star players under DeBoer’s debut. 

Keelon Russell just came off a stellar victory against DeSoto in the Texas high school football rivalry. He displayed pure QB skills as he finished with 469 yards and six touchdowns. It’s no wonder he has risen as one of the top QBs of the 2025 class off the board. But can we expect a commitment flip?

Colorado and Alabama – How are they faring this season?

Kalen DeBoer had been enjoying a sweet honeymoon phase this season until Vanderbilt came along to stain his glory in Week 6. That 40-35 upset loss broke a 40-year winning streak that Alabama had over the Commodores, demoting them from No. 1 to No. 7. Not a good thing to show to an eager commit like Russell who’s with the program because of their winning culture. 

It’s a different story for Deion Sanders and Colorado. After their hype fizzled out last season with their 4-8 record, the noise has died down this season, especially after the Week 2 loss to Nebraska. But they’re slowly climbing up the Big 12 ladder with three consecutive wins since. While they’re still one win away from beating last season’s win record, they’ve been showing growth on the field. It’s on the coaches to attract this prized prospect with their unique recruiting tactics.