There’s no secret in admitting Julian Lewis’ 2025 performance didn’t match the hype of the No. 1 recruit. But when the Colorado QB took accountability for his unreadiness last year, calling it “free-balling” at Big 12 Media Days, the 18-year-old’s honesty was misjudged. That not only put his growth into question but also put him in front of immense criticism. That’s when a CU alum jumped in to defend Lewis, shutting down all negative narratives.

“Everybody can have their opinions. I get it, but people running with this negative narrative, like ‘last year’s team and this year’s team are the same,’ is ridiculous. It’s ridiculous,” said former Colorado DL Matt McChesney during his July 10 appearance on Zero 2 Sixty with Bailey Price.

“This is pure leadership. Young leader Swag said how it was. Last year was not acceptable. We were just running around kind of free-balling like it was in high school. This year we’re actually doing things correctly, and all people did was look at last year and go, ‘Oh, see, see, and Coach Prime can’t coach a Black and Juju’s a bad leader, and everything is just super negative with everyone, man.'”

Lewis’s candid admission about his freshman struggles quickly became a lightning rod. He started 0-2 as a true freshman, finishing the year with modest numbers and a 55 percent completion rate. Across Power 4 football, that kind of rocky start is common for young quarterbacks. Many need a full offseason just to learn how to read defenses at college speed.

Entering 2026, most projections do not favor Colorado. Oddsmakers list the Buffaloes with the longest odds to win the Big 12, and several analytics models place them near the bottom of the conference. Six wins and a bowl bid would already beat expectations.

McChesney, who is the founder of Six Zero Academy, supports the young QB’s swagger to accept his last season’s errors. “I’m looking at it and going, This kid’s a f—ing leader,” said the CU alum. McChesney sees a QB with elite physical tools and the mental toughness to own his mistakes. “He’s not afraid to take the shrapnel, and then he doesn’t respond. So not only that, but he’s not an emotional cripple either.”

Last year’s chaos stemmed from QB instability. This year, Lewis is the answer, if he can execute. Despite outside noise, Julian Lewis is focused, and the QB took training this offseason under the Buffs’ OC and QBs coach, Brennan Marion.

“I’m telling you, this kid is a brain, and right now he’s being taught by a guy he respects, whom he looks at, and he doesn’t see an authority figure. He sees a brother that’s not that much older than him, that has gone through the battles, that knows the difference.”

The equation between the QB and OC tells a lot. Then, Marion not only mastered Lewis in the go-go offensive scheme, but he also helped the QB to learn how to play point guard at the QB position. Even the unique offensive scheme fit with Lewis’ ability. The Colorado QB has to run less because two RBs will be on the same side of him. It simply signals Lewis has become a better version compared to his freshman campaign.

Colorado OC and Deion Jr. rushed to Julian Lewis’ defense

At Big 12 Media Days this week, Lewis was candid about his learning from last season to now.

“I’m actually looking at the defenses now. Last year we weren’t really looking at defenses much, just kind of high school, free-balling, just out there playing football. But it’s a lot bigger than that now, so it should be fun,” said Lewis at Media Days in an interview on ESPNU.

That sparked criticism, putting Colorado’s success this season into question, especially Lewis as QB1. That’s when OC Brennan Marion took to social media and threw a bold question at critics.

“Tell me about your 1st college start as a 17-18 freshman in college. Like go into depth, explain how you saw the game? I remember mine: coaching points went out the window; I was just running fast & game speed was so fast oh & it was JC lol. Tell me your P4 experiences & at QB?” wrote Marion on X.

Not only Colorado OC, but Deion Sanders’ son, Deion Jr., stepped in to defend the QB.

“They know good and well what JuJu meant. You can hate the play calling, but Coach Shurmur taught coverages, etc.,” wrote Deion Jr. “Just let people hate. It’s summertime…money slow right now for everybody.”

If Lewis breaks out in 2026, it will answer the critics who turned his honesty into a narrative about Colorado’s readiness.