Deion Sanders knew coaching the Colorado Buffaloes would be much harder without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. However, he may still be surprised by how much the Buffs have struggled so far in the 2025 NCAA season. After falling to 3-6 in college football, changes are coming to campus.
Deion Sanders hasn’t shied away from making bold changes throughout the NCAA campaign. Instead of standing by with his arms crossed, Coach Prime has stepped in with several roster moves during the year—perhaps to no avail. But the Buffaloes aren’t in a position to enjoy the perks of standing pat.
So far this season, the Buffaloes have toggled between quarterbacks Kaidon Salter and Ryan Staub. However, neither has managed to fill the shoes left behind by Shedeur Sanders. As a result, Deion is reportedly dialing up the number of the program’s promise, Julian Lewis.
As reported by On3 and college football insider Pete Nakos, Sanders and the Buffaloes are expected to turn to Lewis for their upcoming visit to the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Julian Lewis at Folsom Field on September 20, 2025 in Boulder, Colorado.
What Lewis brings to the table
A four-star recruit in the class of 2025, Lewis’ arrival in Boulder brought much hope to the program. However, as Lewis is only a true freshman in college football, Sanders and his staff decided to take it slow with the Georgia-native.
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So far in the 2025 NCAA season, Lewis has seen the field just twice. He made his collegiate debut against the Delaware Blue Hens, playing snaps in garbage time as the Buffs cruised to a 31-7 victory. Nevertheless, Lewis has had his fair share of adversity as he was tossed into the fire during Colorado’s 52-17 loss to the Arizona Wildcats. Lewis answered with 9 completions for 121 yards and a touchdown. As Salter and Staub combined for 3 interceptions, Sanders might believe Lewis is the right man for the job going forward.
Turning the tide
As the Buffaloes travel to Morgantown, Lewis is expected to make his first career start for Colorado. Though West Virginia’s 3-6 (1-5 Big 12) record might not show it, the Mountaineers are capable of giving Lewis a tough time in his college football debut. West Virginia is coming off an upset 45-35 road win over the No. 22 Houston Cougars.
Colorado, on the other hand, enters the matchup after surrendering 50-plus points in back-to-back losses. Moreover, the Buffaloes have yet to win a game away from Boulder this season. If Colorado falls on Saturday, it will mark more than a year since its last road victory—back on November 9, 2024, when Shedeur and company took down Texas Tech in Lubbock.
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