Julian ‘Ju Ju’ Lewis and Shedeur Sanders share a surprising connection on multiple fronts. They both led the charge as quarterbacks at Colorado, and both have also struggled at that position in 2025. With Todd Monken joining the Browns as their new head coach, the two signal callers have one more common factor. But this was something Lewis was excited about.

The Colorado QB shared a photo of himself and Monken during a game day visit in 2021, when the latter was at Georgia. Based on his own personal experience with the coach, he urged Shedeur Sanders to keep his hopes up.

“@ShedeurSanders keep going twin! @CoachToddMonken always gave me great advice!” he shared on X.

Georgia pursued Julian Lewis heavily when he was in high school. The QB is a native of the state and also emerged as a top-10 local prospect. While evaluating his options, he saw Monken develop Stetson Bennett into a star. UGA eventually offered him through Mike Bobo, and Monken would stay on for just one more season, leaving to join the Ravens in 2023.

But the talented QB still kept Georgia in the mix, building off a relationship that started when he was in his mid-teens. Lewis’s limited interaction with Monken was good enough to recommend the coach to Shedeur.

Monken was easily one of the best offensive coordinators in college football during the three seasons he spent at Georgia. Along with building National Championship-winning offenses, he also produced some elite QBs. Brandon Weeden from Oklahoma State was a first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, emerging as Monken’s notable early talent from college to the NFL.

Then there was Stetson, and he also helped recruit Carson Beck to Georgia. And he also made an effort to target Julian Lewis, the 7th-best QB of the 2025 cycle, as a potential Georgia player. The budding Colorado signal-caller might be right in insisting to Sanders that good times are coming.

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In a way, Lewis also understands the Browns QB’s position, having found himself in a similar state in Colorado. Both players struggled to find time to play, with the Colorado QB starting in only two of his four games. Sanders only started seven games and won three of them. They ended their seasons on a tough note, but 2026 looks promising for the two.

Lewis’s endorsement carries weight because Monken’s coaching philosophy seems to align perfectly with Sanders’s strengths, potentially solving Cleveland’s quarterback dilemma.

Todd Monken’s ideal QB1 profile points to Shedeur Sanders in some ways

Quarterback is a major issue for Cleveland before the 2026 season. Shedeur is the leading candidate for QB1 after sparking the team during the season. Dillon Gabriel struggled despite starting before Shedeur. Veteran Deshaun Watson is uncertain due to injury, and Todd Monken declined to comment on QB1 options. Shedeur appears to fit the coach’s description for the role.

“I’m just going to start with personality traits. When you talk about who’s going to lead this team, who has the ‘it’ factor?” Monken said. “Who has those characteristics that the team wants to follow and believes in them because the ball’s in their hand every down. This game is going to come down to two-minute situations, four-minute situations where you’ve got to be able to execute the high level.”

Monken’s emphasis on performing in high-leverage situations is where Sanders fits in. Moreover, the QB threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter against Tennessee, giving the Browns a fighting chance. The QB also stepped up late in the regular-season finale against the Bengals, leading the team to an important victory.

Everything seems to be lining up for Shedeur Sanders before the season. He will undoubtedly have to fight for the position, but he might have already stood out to the new head coach. Plus, with Julian Lewis vetting Monken as someone who isn’t just all talk, Sanders knows he can land the job by continuing to impress the new coach.