Shedeur Sanders’ successor Julian Lewis draws massive praise from 4-star OL Breck Kolojay following Colorado visit

Julian Lewis has some Shedeur Sanders-sized shoes to fill with the Colorado Buffaloes. The former high school phenom joined the Buffaloes in the lead-up to the 2025 season, and he's in a battle with Kaidon Salter for the starting quarterback job.

Both quarterbacks are looking to replace Shedeur Sanders as Coach Prime's starting quarterback for the Buffaloes. In preparation for the 2025 campaign, Lewis seems to be working overtime to recruit high level talent for the Buffs.

In an interview with college football analyst Scott Procter, the 2026 four-star OL Breck Kolojay praised Julian Lewis.

"As an offensive lineman, it makes you happy when you see that you have such a good QB," Kolojay said. … That relationship from OL to QB is huge and that’s already been built.”

According to Procter:

"Lewis hosted a group of recruits at his house this past weekend to hang out with and get to know them."

Kolojay is one of several top 2026 football recruits who visited Colorado over the weekend. He is fresh out of IMG Academy and has over 30 collegiate offers. Such high praise for Julian Lewis might bode well for Colorado's aim of landing one of the most sought-after offensive linemen in the 2026 class.

What's next for Julian Lewis and Colorado in 2025?

Julian Lewis and Kaidon Salter are the frontrunners for the QB1 spot. However, Salter seems to be winning the contest due to his vast amount of collegiate football experience compared to Lewis' true freshman status. Hence, most expect that Coach Prime will go for the safer option and ride with Salter.

However, Buffaloes' offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur, has advised the press to avoid viewing the ongoing QB1 competition as a two-man race between Lewis and Salter. Ryan Staub seems to be in the mix as well, with the returning quarterback being viewed as a dark horse in the race.

The Colorado Buffaloes will look to improve on their 9-4 showing from the previous campaign. However, they'll have to do so without Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, LaJohntay Wester, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Shilo Sanders, all of whom are headed to the NFL.

With Coach Prime signing a major contract renewal with the Buffaloes, he'll look to complete a full-scale rebuild for the program ahead of a crucial 2025 campaign.