The uncertainty surrounding Julian “JuJu” Lewis has created an immediate quarterback question for Colorado. It has also exposed a much larger problem for Deion Sanders.
Can Colorado recruit highly rated high school players, develop them and keep them in Boulder?
An unverified social media report claims Lewis’ camp has told Colorado he will sit out the remainder of the season and enter the transfer portal. Neither Lewis, his family nor the university has confirmed that claim. Lewis also remains listed on Colorado’s official roster.
But if Lewis has played his final game for the Buffaloes, he would not represent an isolated departure. He would become the latest blue-chip high school recruit to leave a program that has struggled to retain the most celebrated prospects from Sanders’ recruiting classes.
Colorado Has Retained Four of 15 Blue Chip Recruits
Based on the four-star and five-star enrollees, from On3/Rivals and 247 Sports, identified in Colorado’s classes listings from 2023 through 2026, Sanders brought 15 blue-chip high school prospects to Boulder.
Only four are currently listed on Colorado’s roster: Lewis, offensive lineman Chauncey Gooden, wide receiver Quanell Farrakhan Jr. and linebacker Carson Crawford.
None of the four blue-chip prospects from Colorado’s 2023 class remains with the program. That group consisted of Cormani McClain, Dylan Edwards, Omarion Miller and Adam Hopkins IV.
The 2024 class produced the same result. Jordan Seaton, Dre’lon Miller, Kam Mikell and Brandon Davis-Swain have all departed.
Colorado then enrolled six four-star prospects in 2025: Lewis, Gooden, Farrakhan, Carde Smith, London Merritt and Adrian Wilson. Only the first three remain on the current roster. Smith, Merritt and Wilson are no longer listed.
Crawford is the only four-star enrollee from Colorado’s 2026 class.
That means the Buffaloes have retained four of the 15 blue-chip high school players who enrolled across Sanders’ four classes, approximately 27 percent.
The number becomes even more revealing when Crawford is removed from the calculation. He is only months into his freshman season and has not yet experienced an offseason transfer cycle at Colorado.
Of the 14 blue-chip recruits from the 2023 through 2025 classes, only Lewis, Gooden and Farrakhan remain. That is a retention rate of approximately 21 percent.
If the report about Lewis eventually proves accurate, Colorado would be left with two of those 14 players in Gooden and Farrakhan.
Why Would Gooden and Farrakhan Stay
Gooden has earned a starting role at left guard. Farrakhan has played meaningful snaps and remains positioned for a larger opportunity at receiver. Both have clearer paths to playing time than many young players searching for new programs.
But playing time is no longer the only factor determining whether a player remains at a school. Gooden and Farrakhan will be able to evaluate Colorado’s direction, the stability of the coaching staff, their individual development and the opportunities other programs might present through the portal.
They can also look at what happened to the highly rated recruits who arrived before them.
That history creates a difficult recruiting message. Sanders can still attract recognizable talent, but signing day excitement means less if those players do not remain long enough to become the program’s foundation.
Transfer-heavy roster construction can fill immediate needs. It can also force Colorado to rebuild substantial portions of its team every offseason. Without a dependable core of developed high school recruits, continuity becomes difficult and every disappointing season threatens to trigger another major turnover.
The Lewis situation will eventually be resolved. He may return or decide his future belongs somewhere else.
The larger question will remain regardless of his decision.
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