If you’ve ever lived in Boulder, you know one thing for sure: avoid the city on Memorial Day.
The annual Bolder Boulder 10K shuts everything down — streets clogged with runners, sidewalks jammed with spectators, and traffic that makes you question your life choices. It's chaos. Controlled chaos, maybe, but chaos all the same.
Once, trying to move into a CU apartment on that day was the worst decision of my life.
But none of that mattered to Julian “JuJu” Lewis, Colorado’s incoming freshman quarterback. The traffic, the crowds, the holiday — none of it was going to stop him from getting a workout in.
While most of the city was focused on the race to Folsom Field, Lewis had a race of his own to get better. You gotta love it.
And according to Colorado’s director of player personnel Corey Phillips, he called him a staggering 47 times to get in the building and find parking. You read that right. Not once or twice. Forty-seven times.
That’s the kind of hunger that could change the program.
A glimpse into JuJu’s mindset
Let’s not forget: this kid should still be in high school. But he already sounds like a seasoned vet.
“My biggest takeaway so far has been the extra time you need to spend on football,” Lewis said during spring camp. “You have to be here, get the extra time with the GAs… the scouting wasn’t as challenging [in high school] and the plays weren’t as deep.”
Lewis might not be the Buffs QB1 yet — Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter took the lead during spring — but JuJu's work ethic is impossible to ignore. And fans can feel it: the quarterback room hasn’t had this kind of juice probably since Sefo Liufau.
Whether he starts in 2025 or not, Lewis is setting the tone for what the culture under Coach Prime should be — obsessed with greatness.
More than just another five-star name
Plenty of five-star QBs have come into college football with big hype and bigger expectations. But this feels different.
JuJu looks to be staying in Boulder this summer instead of flying back to Georgia. He’s locked in. He knows he’s got catching up to do after reclassifying.
This is a 17-year-old quarterback refusing to be outworked, even by a race that literally shut down the city.
Corey Phillips nailed it with his tweet: “The work won’t do itself.” And JuJu Lewis is living that out right now.
So, what does this mean for the Buffs?
It means Colorado fans should be fired up.
We witnessed a season where we struggled to find a consistent offensive rhythm. The Buffs lost to Nebraska 28-10 last fall and were outmuscled more than once. The line is getting stronger (see our recent O-line additions), and now we’ve got a quarterback in the building who lives in the gym and breathes the film room.
It doesn’t mean Lewis starts Week 1 — Coach Prime and Pat Shurmur will make that call when it’s time. But it does mean the foundation is being built right now, and Lewis is laying bricks every day.
We’ve been asking for dogs in this locker room. He’s one.
Let’s not overthink it. The JuJu era might not officially begin in September, but it’s already started in the weight room. On a holiday. With traffic backed up for miles. That’s a leader.
And honestly? I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the starter sooner than later.
— Want more stories like this? Follow us on X for all things Colorado football and Basketball.