Freshman quarterback Julian Lewis balancing QB battle, NIL as face of Colorado's future
Freshman quarterback Julian Lewis balancing QB battle, NIL as face of Colorado's future
Colorado freshman quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis is an 18-year-old five-star freshman quarterback with all the on-field tools to become a successful college player and future NFL player. Lewis's maturity doesn't stop with the football field.
The top 2025 recruit is also setting himself up for the future with the resources available to him as a high-profile athlete in the NIL era. Lewis has a business agent, his own branded line of merchandise and an ownership stake in Fanstake, a company aiming to democratize name, image and likeness deals.
As USA TODAY Sports' Brent Schrotenboer puts it, Lewis is "the poster child of this wild new era of college sports."
Lewis' father makes sure his son knows that even as a freshman in college, he has "two jobs: QB and entrepreneur."
The young signal caller is in the midst of a tight quarterback battle with Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, but that has not stopped Lewis from trying to maximize his off-field opportunities.
Lewis told USA TODAY Sports in an email interview that by the end of June, he hopes to announce at least three other equity deals and four additional NIL deals. Despite the heavy activity off the field, capitalizing on his stardom, Lewis has his priorities straight.
"NIL has nothing to do with my college career; football and NIL are two very separate things," Lewis wrote to USA TODAY Sports. "Football is my priority. I have a responsibility to myself, my teammates, and my university to become the best player that I can be. NIL is going well, I'm thankful for the opportunities that I have."
In an age of college athletics, where more and more recruits seem to be chasing the money, Lewis's level-headedness is refreshing and should be a good sign for Colorado fans who may worry Lewis would leave CU for more money.
Lewis is mature beyond his years, and whether that turns into wins for the Colorado football team remains to be seen, but the Buffs look to have a true leader on their hands for the next few seasons and the perfect future replacement for Shedeur Sanders.
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