
via Imago
Image credits: Imago

via Imago
Image credits: Imago
Now that’s not what Deion Sanders had planned, right? The Colorado Buffaloes HC had given everything into their Mission JuJu, manifesting his inclusion for the longest of time. But it looks like the Carrollton High School star would still have to wait for some more time for the spotlight to fall solely over him, as another QB is here to make his presence known…
It’s none other than the Liberty Flames quarterback, Kaidon Salter, who signed with the Buffs on February 4. Well, we are yet to know whether he could replace Lewis in Deion’s list of favorites. Yet, we can envision Coach Prime landing in a tough spot to protect his favorite JuJu. But for the 57-year-old, an inevitably tough choices awaits. As for the QBs? A cut-throat competition to one up each other…
Interestingly, back in December last year, Coach Prime had heavily chanced upon Lewis’ talents, by saying, “I think smart coaches at this level understand what has worked for them, and they try their best to replicate that. Shedeur’s worked really well for us. He has a wonderful father in his life. Father has always been there. Father just knows the game and a father that’s hands on. 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, what he wants out of the game, and from the game, and what he gives to the game. The similarities are unbelievable.”
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“He’s everything that we desire in a quarterback. 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. Are they winners?…We have one right now, and we’ve got one coming in, and we got one on campus right now as well. The winners, that’s the intangible that you want. You don’t want to get a guy that got his butt kicked all the time. What is that gonna do? What is he gonna say on a TV timeout to a team, when it gets to a pivotal point in the game? And he’s always lost? Not leading our team.”
However, looks like Salter has snatched away the keys to succeed Shedeur from Lewis.
On the Until Saturday podcast aired February 3, analyst David Ubben shared, “You bring in Kaidon Salter who I think is really a guy that fits your offense well, can be sort of steadying.” So, Lewis will no longer get everything served and ready. Rather, he will have to fight for it. “And if Juju Lewis is special. You know it is what it is…Then he can win that job out,” stated Ubben. But what makes the analyst think so highly about Salter? Well, the QB started 29 games for the Flames and earned Conference USA MVP honors in 2023.
And seems like Salter is also ready to compete for that coveted QB spot. “No promises, all competition and I’m willing to come in and compete. You know Juju (Lewis), he is a younger guy of course, so they wanted somebody in the room that can mentor him and help him come into college feel comfortable. They felt I was the guy that could do that. I also feel I’m the guy that can do that,” he said in December 2024.
“I met Juju at the Elite 11, when I was an Elite 11 counsellor. So, I’ve met Juju before and just recently met him again when I went out there for the Bowl game. He’s a very cool dude and he’s a playmaker. One of the best QBs in his class…It’s all love over there and it’ll be a great competition between us,” the young star had concluded.
Having said that, Salter rushed for 1,676 yards since 2023, becoming the second among FBS quarterbacks. So now you know how he is not afraid to make plays. Host Chris Vannini also sees Salter and not Lewis filling Shedeur’s big shoes, “Kaidon Salter is a completely different quarterback from Shedeur Sanders. He will have to run a lot which Shedeur didn’t.”

via Imago
SPORTS-FBC-COLORADO-UCF-NOTES-6-OS Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders 2 scrambles against UCF at FBC Mortgage Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS Orlando FL – Florida USA EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xOrlandoxSentinelx 122883387W StephenxM.xDowellx krtphotoslive945647
Sadly, this is not the only worrying development in Lewis’ life…
Julian Lewis gets snubbed twice
The ESPN ranked Southern Cal as a five-star prospect and the No. 2 high school QB available. However, Lewis’ prospect somehow was dominated because he looked like the Buffs QB on the gridiron. As per recruiting services, Lewis is accurate, astute, and athletic like Shedeur. Deion’s favorite JuJu’s stats do all the talking. During his 2022 and ’23 seasons in Georgia, he threw for a combined 96 touchdown passes and, eventually, led his high school to a 25-3 record.
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But bad luck! While Lewis promised Shedeur, “You left huge shoes to fill, but I promise to work to leave @CUBuffsFootball even better than I found it,” that won’t happen anytime soon. That’s because JuJu will now have to thrive under the shadow of Salter, who vowed to keep Shedeur’s legacy alive in Boulder.
“It’s time for me to come in. Shedeur did his thing here, but it’s time for me to come in and do what I got to do. What Shedeur did, and it’s time for me to come in and start my own legacy year,” assured Lewis’ senior. Meanwhile, the analysts too turned away from JuJu.
Back-to-back snubs came his way. On January 1, On3 Recruits launched their “Top 10 QBs in the final 2025 On300 rankings🎯.” On that list, Julian Lewis could not find himself a spot while 5-star and 4-star phenoms like Michigan’s Bryce Underwood and Alabama’s Keelon Russell enjoyed top ranks. This was the second heartbreak for JuJu. Before that, even On3’s “Final 2025 On300 five-stars” didn’t feature him.
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So what’s the best advice for Lewis now? To change his mindset. Shadowing Salter isn’t just a challenge—it’s the key to his evolution. Meanwhile, Deion Sanders must choose between his run-heavy option or his son’s lookalike (athletically). A tough choice indeed!
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Debate
Has Kaidon Salter truly outshined Julian Lewis, or is this just a temporary setback for JuJu?
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Has Kaidon Salter truly outshined Julian Lewis, or is this just a temporary setback for JuJu?
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