Colorado’s quarterback room is in upheaval as Coach Prime makes a decisive move in the middle of a disappointing 3-7 season. Kaidon Salter, who started most of the year, has been replaced by freshman Julian Lewis, whose fearless play against West Virginia forced the hand of the head coach.

“He (Julian Lewis) has that intangible that he makes other guys want to play with him, and want to compete as such. Now they know if they get a step, that ball is probably going to be there,” said Deion on his Wednesday appearance.

The praise comes at the expense of Kaidon Salter, but against West Virginia, Lewis showed that composure firsthand. Even after a defender grabbed a fistful of his hair for a nine-yard loss, Lewis finished 22 of 35 passes, throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns, proving he could lead under pressure. Maybe that spark, that attention-grabbing presence, is what Salter’s been missing. Colorado failed 29-22, but JuJu’s strong play earned him respect from Deion Sanders, and he is scheduled to make his second career start at home against ASU. However, Sanders said that the starting QB is now braiding his hair to keep it out of reach.

“He’s braided up now, so we won’t have that problem, which I respected,” said Sanders on CBS News Colorado. “He understood like, ‘Let me take care of this, because I can’t have this happen.'”

It’s a pivotal move for the 18-year-old QB, who plans to burn his redshirt and start the final three games. With that decision, Lewis not only limits opponents from targeting him easily but also positions himself as Colorado’s future.

The Buffs are 3-7 this season, but with Lewis at the helm, the program finally has a direction forward. Lewis flashed his potential against West Virginia, throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns, even after a defender grabbed a fistful of his hair for a nine-yard loss. “I felt amazing playing football again, realistically as a starter,” he said. Maybe he could’ve played even better if that hadn’t happened, which brings us to the next discussion.

Julian Lewis’ case is legally accepted in CFB

Tackling by the hair might look wild, but in CFB, it’s legal. Although Colorado freshman QB Julian Lewis learned that the hard way. But his takedown became more than a highlight. The NCAA used WVU play in an officiating tutorial video to explain whether it’s legal or not.

In that clip, SEC official Steve Shaw asked, “Is this a foul?” Then the response came with a reason. “Hair is part of the body… there’s no foul for grabbing the ballcarrier’s hair and pulling them down,” said Shaw.

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Yes, as long as no helmet opening is grabbed, the play stands. It’s strange but not illegal. Still, there is one catch: if the player isn’t carrying the ball and is just blocking, defenders can’t yank the hair; that would be a penalty.

But in the game against WVU, Lewis was the ball carrier. At the time of the sack, the Buffs were driving, down 29-19 with the ball. The hair tackle pushed them backward and forced a 38-yard field goal with just over a minute left. That changed the game for Colorado. Still, there’s a chance for Lewis to show his potential.