It will be hard fight to land 'rightful' Colorado football QB heir to Shedeur Sanders

Essentially Sports' Khosalu Puro labeled 5-star Carrollton QB Julian Lewis as the Buffs' "rightful heir" to Colorado football star Shedeur Sanders -- and indicated that it'd be a "hard fight" to lure him away from USC.

"Last season, Lewis passed for 3,094 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, and only two interceptions," Puro prefaced before saying, "Lewis was named as the MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year for his efforts in 2023, leading Carrollton to a 11-2 season and 7A quarterfinals appearance. In his freshman season, Lewis helped Carrollton reach the 7A state final and set a state final record with 531 passing yards in a loss.

"As such, the Buffs may see him as the rightful heir to Shedeur, but to sway him won’t be an easy task. Lewis is an elite player with interests in various schools, so it’s going to be a hard fight to acquire this valuable asset. Though he remains committed to USC, he is keeping his options open and the Buffs aren’t only the team he may be interested in."

A hard fight for CU indeed, especially coming off a four-win season and a media firestorm regarding the revelation that Coach Prime doesn't go on recruiting visits to prospective Buffs' high schools or homes.

Georgia a strong contender to flip Colorado football QB target Julian Lewis from USC

While Lewis did post a message thanking his father and Coach Prime for "always caring about what’s best" for him, the Buffs are not the team many are worried about when it comes to poaching the Atlanta-area star from Los Angeles.

Instead, as Georgia recruiting insider Jake Rowe relays, it's Lewis's home-state juggernaut Georgia that poses a legitimate threat.

“I like where things trend for Georgia for Juju Lewis. It’s just a matter of how easy is the breakup going to be with USC,” Rowe said earlier this week during On3’s Inside Scoop recruiting show (h/t On3's Keegan Pope). “Lincoln Riley does such a fantastic job with quarterbacks. You can talk all you want about defense at USC and Oklahoma, and no College Football Playoff wins and all of that stuff. But if you’re a quarterback, you just can’t ignore the opportunity at least to play for Lincoln Riley.”

Many counted out CU in Jordan Seaton's recruitment, so there's precedent for the Buffs shocking the world. But if Colorado isn't an ATM when it comes to NIL, as Coach Prime says, landing Lewis is a pipe dream.