Colorado Self-Reports NCAA Violations Involving Julian Lewis
Colorado has reported a minor NCAA rules violation after a mention of a recruit, Julian Lewis, on Deion Sanders’ coaches show. According to records obtained by USA Today, the university self-reported two violations related to the five-star quarterback. Lewis, who had originally committed to USC, switched to Colorado in November and signed with the Buffaloes in December.
NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from discussing recruits who have not yet signed with the school. Sanders mentioned Lewis’ name on the show before he officially committed.
Details of the Violation
On the show, Sanders spoke about recruiting Lewis, saying, “Hey, get JuJu on the phone and get his pop on the phone… See if his dad want to come down and just sit down and chop it up with me.” Sanders also mentioned that Lewis’ father had visited his office for a meeting, adding, “He sat in my office I think a few weeks ago for a couple hours… I said, `C’mon, give it all to me because I know you’ve got a bunch of questions on your mind. Let’s go.’ And we did that. And he walked away feeling really comfortable about where we’re headed.”
The second violation occurred when the host of the show brought up Lewis’ name in a question to Sanders before Lewis had signed with Colorado.
Consequences and Response
In response to the violations, Colorado has provided additional rules education to Sanders and imposed a four-day reduction in in-person recruiting during the spring recruiting period. The two episodes that led to the violations have been removed from YouTube, and Sanders’ show will no longer be live-streamed on the platform.
Julian Lewis’ Recruitment and Impact
Julian Lewis is considered one of the top players in the 2025 recruiting class and a major reason why Colorado currently ranks No. 40 in the national high school rankings, despite only having 14 recruits signed. The five-star quarterback from Carrollton, Georgia, is ranked No. 10 overall in the country and No. 1 in his state. Lewis is also the No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the class, following Ohio State’s Tavien St. Clair and Michigan’s Bryce Underwood.
Lewis is expected to be Colorado’s starting quarterback in 2026, as current quarterback Shedeur Sanders plans to enter the NFL. In the meantime, Colorado added former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter for the 2025 season.
Deion Sanders, Colorado’s head coach, is expected to stay with the team after talks of him coaching the Dallas Cowboys have fizzled. Sanders has not interviewed with Dallas, as the Cowboys continue their search for a new offensive coordinator.
