Colorado’s offensive line gave up 56 sacks last season, a number that Deion Sanders’ staff is determined to never see again. Now, with five-star freshman Julian Lewis taking the snaps, the ultimatum for the front five is simple: protect the franchise.

“You gotta be able to move the line of scrimmage, and you gotta be able to protect the quarterback,” Colorado OL Gunnar White replied when asked what the program was looking for from the offensive lineman position out of the transfer portal.

Julian Lewis had a decent freshman season in 2025. And despite how it looks as though he has been thrown into the QB1 position, he has earned his coaches’ trust and will be ready to hit the ground running. In 2025, Lewis had just three starts against the Arizona Wildcats, West Virginia Mountaineers, and Arizona State Sun Devils, in which he threw for 589 yards and four touchdowns. 

The O-line protection is something that even Shedeur Sanders didn’t have when he led Colorado to a 9-3 regular season finish. The main element of any viral Shedeur play was him running for his life to avoid getting sacked, only to somehow find his wide receiver downfield. It also doesn’t help Deion Sanders that he lost Jordan Seaton to LSU in the transfer portal.

However, the Buffaloes have aggressively rebuilt their line by adding three massive transfers: 6-foot-6 Jayven Richardson from Missouri, 6-foot-5 Taj White from Rutgers, and 6-foot-7 Bo Hughley from Georgia, signaling a clear focus on adding size and Power Five experience.

Beyond the ability to protect the quarterback, Gunnar’s assistant coach, Andre Gurode, offered more insight into what the program expects from the offensive line in the coming season. Beyond the skill and intelligence, he wants the offensive line guys to develop a fighting spirit.

“You need to like to fight, I want you to fight. You have to be able to think quickly, execute, no matter what. I don’t care if it’s fourth and forever; I need to see the fight.”

If Julian Lewis succeeds next season, it will cement the QB1 role for at least two more years at Boulder, a thing that looked unlikely when Coach Prime juggled through multiple quarterbacks last season to find stability at the position.

Julian Lewis receives a poor QB ranking

Despite being a two-time Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year, Julian Lewis’s high school accolades seem forgotten, with his inexperience as a redshirt freshman overshadowing his raw talent.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently released his “Pre-spring QB rankings for all 68 Power 4 college football teams” and placed Lewis at No. 62 overall.

“Deion Sanders and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur ran their QB room in scattershot fashion in 2025, starting three different guys at one point or another, but the uncertainty is gone in 2026,” Connelly wrote. “Two of those three are gone, and Lewis, the blue-chip redshirt freshman, is the guy for new coordinator Brennan Marion. “Lewis was good in one late-season start (a win over WVU) and lost in another (a blowout defeat to Arizona State), but he has tools.”

Lewis had a 39-4 record in three seasons as a starter for Carrollton High School in Georgia. That low ranking doesn’t align with his high school production, where he threw for 11,010 yards and 144 touchdown passes. Besides, from his freshman season onward, he had always received the right support from Deion Sanders.

“I love the kid, and I want the kid to be successful,” Sanders said. “So we’re very protective of what we do with him and what we can do with him, and really how we call things with him. We want him to be in a situation to excel.”