The air in Colorado feels different this time. First, the highly debated fine structure emerged, and now a new spring player draft, similar to the NFL draft system, is in place. It divides the roster into two teams and ranks players according to their selection order. Julian Lewis was hopeful to get that top pick after his successful backup stint. But imagine his surprise when the newly recruited class of 2026 QB Kaneal Sweetwyne got the spot instead. After this heartbreaking snub, Lewis’ father, who has spoken nothing but great things about Sanders in the past, posted a photo of him with his son with a cryptic message.

“I’ve never wanted to be in front. It’s always been about love, support, protection, and guidance. Beyond thankful for the role that God has given me. Matthew 25:23 #TrustGod #KeepWorking” said Carlton Lewis. This response carries extra weight because it wasn’t long ago that Carlton Lewis had also publicly praised Sanders during Colorado’s jersey reveal. He thanked him for making his son’s transition to college life smooth. But his message to his son to keep strong and his words of encouragement are not entirely misplaced.

While the draft picks were only for the spring game and did not affect Lewis’ overall value, the No.2 pick came as a surprise. After all, despite the limited time, Lewis showed his quality in the four games he played last season. He completed 52 out of 94 attempted throws for 589 yards. And he even contributed to scoring, scoring four touchdowns. His performance in the 29-22 loss against the West Virginia Mountaineers showed that Lewis was not a quitter even in an uphill battle. He posted his personal best stats in terms of yardage (299) and throws completed (62.9%).

Even during such a disastrous season, Lewis showed that he was capable of leading Colorado, given the chance. So, the thought of losing the spot to a three-star freshman will be a bit tough to digest. However, this wasn’t Deion Sanders’ call. The draft picks were made by a selected group of captains to form two teams: Gold and Black.

The Black team made the first pick, made by captain Brady Kopetz. In a way, this would only serve as a motivating factor for Lewis to showcase his qualities once more. Sanders wants a locker room full of hungry players. Snubbing Lewis out of the top spot is a message that nobody is safe. That would make players train harder and take the spring sessions even more seriously. The captains did not explain their reasoning behind the picks. However, Sanders had his say on the final two teams drafted.

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“You all picked this team. So y’all gotta take ownership of it. Y’all gotta encourage them. You gotta motivate them. You gotta get on them. … And you guys gotta win. Winning is the bottom line, so you gotta kick their b***, and they gotta kick your b***. You got that?”

This shows the mentality Deion Sanders is trying to implement in Colorado after last season. That saw new coaches and 47 new players come in, changing the whole team basically. With the new systems in place, Sanders wants to bring Colorado back to where it belongs: among the elite programs in the Big 12 and a challenge for the National Championship.

Can Kaneal Sweetwyne change Deion Sanders’ mind?

While Kanael Sweetwyne would be excited about the pick, it also puts him in the spotlight. That means he must prove to Deion Sanders that recruiting him to Boulder was the right decision. The freshman impressed many with his statistics last season: throwing for 3,050 yards and scoring 32 touchdowns for Skyridge High School.

But that was high school level. Now Sweetwyne finds himself at one of the most prestigious football programs in the country. That means the competition for the starting spot is higher than what he has experienced yet. The quarterback room for the Buffaloes this season is filled with talent. Apart from Julian Lewis, he has got two more QBs to worry about.

The first one is Dominiq Ponder, who returns to the program after seeing minimal playing time last season. Ponder will do his best to break into the team, increasing the competition for the spot. The other one is Isaac Wilson, who also saw minimal playing time at former program, Utah. His only appearance last season was coincidentally against Colorado.

With the new, winner-takes-all system at Colorado, Sweetwyne cannot overlook any of these names. The upcoming spring practice, which begins on March 2nd, will decide everything for these quarterbacks.