Colorado Buffaloes are entering into a new era—but not without a little smoke first. The Buffaloes lost their stars to the league; Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter dipped to the NFL. But that isn’t stopping the next man up. Julian Lewis, the five-star freshman with more hype than a Yeezy drop in the football world, just made it clear: he isn’t here to play cute. He got six words for the nation—and he meant every damn syllable.

On May 4th, Julian Lewis took it to X, “Whole squad more hungry than ever.” Six words, all gas, no brakes. A message for all 134 FBS teams and a warning for anybody who thinks Colorado is going to fold just because the stars dipped to the league. The torch that Shedeur Sanders carried? Lewis grabbed it with both hands—and maybe, just maybe, turned the flame up a notch. Don’t get it twisted though. This isn’t some Hollywood sequel. Even if Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter wins the QB1 job this fall (the man’s got one year of eligibility left), the real future of Boulder is JuJu. He has the four-year window. The rebuild’s foundation. The Prime reset.

Meanwhile, the Buffs’ offense is cooking. But a new recipe. Omarion Miller, that boy who lit up USC for 196 yards as a freshman, is stepping into WR1. Kaleb Mathis? He got next. NC State’s Terrell Timmons Jr. brings some grown-man experience to the table. Then there’s the young bulls—Quentin Gibson, who just posted 2,009 yards and 36 touchdowns in high school, and Quanell Farrakhan Jr., whose name alone should make DBs nervous. They aren’t Travis Hunter. But they also aren’t scared. Deion’s been stacking talents, and former FSU five-star Hykeem Williams might slide through the portal too.

Let’s keep it a buck: JuJu Lewis isn’t any regular 5-star. He is dripping out in NIL deals, media-trained by the trenches, and already looking like he was made in a lab to break ankles and break headlines. But what makes him different? He watched Shedeur’s rise… and his crash. And trust—he took notes. JuJu pulled up to Boulder early, got tight with Shedeur, and soaked in every ounce of game during Alamo Bowl practices. Julian Lewis doubles down on the tweet: “Surrounded by Legendary former NFL players as coaches…” 

Deion isn’t just building a football team. He’s building an NFL prep school. Just look at the coaching staff. Warren Sapp? On D-line. Marshall Faulk? Running back whisperer. Domata Peko? 15 years of straight-up violence in the trenches. Andre Gurode? Pro Bowl résumé on deck. Every coach is low-key stamped. This isn’t any gimmick. This is NFL U.  The league before the league.

Now, yeah—some heavyweights bounced. Travis, Horn Jr., LaJohntay Wester? All gone. Shedeur? Fifth-round flyer to the Browns. But even that draft story? Man, that’s part of the lesson.

Julian Lewis warned not to follow Shedeur Sanders’ path too closely

Let’s call it what it is: Shedeur’s draft fall was a masterclass in how a brand can blur the vision. Shedeur Sanders went from QB2 to Day 3. Why? The brass. The attitude and flunking interviews. Pops is talking spicy like “It’s gonna be an Eli” in interviews. All that top-five talk turned NFL execs off faster than a dry chicken wing. And Julian? He saw every frame of it. He knows talent doesn’t always trump optics and manners.

As per Rivals’ national recruiting director Adam Gorney, the game plan’s real simple: block out the noise and run your own show. “Don’t have your father predict you as a top-five pick. Don’t have your dad say publicly there are some cities that are no-gos. Don’t treat the pre-draft process like a recruiting trip (where the coaches have to bow down to you) and instead treat it more like a job interview. Be prepared for getting on the white board and answering questions.”

The NFL wants dogs, not divas. And JuJu? He is already flexing the mindset of a pro. Whiteboard ready. Eyes locked. There are no cities off-limits. There’s no entitlement in his interviews. Just focus and play football. So far, we have nothing to worry about. Julian Lewis is charting his own. Cool, calm, calculated. The anti-crash course. He knows the game has changed. It’s not about who talks the loudest. It’s about who walks the smartest. And if that 6-word tweet was any indication? Whole squad more hungry than ever…Then best believe Julian is cooking with a full plate.