Julian Lewis may already be headed toward the exit at Colorado, and Deion Sanders isn’t rushing to promise him another crack at the job.
The former five-star quarterback was pulled after the Big 12 opener against Baylor more than a month ago and has not seen game action since. On Tuesday, Sanders was asked point-blank whether Lewis would get another start this season, and he kept the door open without exactly swinging it wide.
“That’s on him,” Deion Sanders said. “I don’t play games with young men in their careers and hate on folks.
If anything, I’m too forgiving and very kind. I don’t play those games with kids.
“You have to always understand that we may know a little more than you do. We understand what happens, what goes on, what clicks, what doesn’t and what fits. We get that.”
Lewis’ only extended look came in that Baylor game, when he completed 11 of 16 passes for 75 yards in the first half. Seven of those completions went behind the line of scrimmage. He was then replaced by Isaac Wilson, who has since taken over as the starter.
Wilson’s run has not gone smoothly. In three starts, he has thrown seven interceptions. Lewis, by comparison, was far more careful with the ball, throwing only two picks even though his own early-season play was conservative.
Sanders was also asked whether he had seen Lewis battle to get his job back, but he again refused to bite.
“If I answer that, you may say I’m taking a shot at the kid,” Deion Sanders said. “I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to go down that rabbit hole.”
Still, the message between the lines was hard to miss. Lewis has looked disconnected on the sideline, and with the way college football works now, the signs point toward him having already played his last snap in black and gold unless something dramatic changes.
For now, Wilson is locked in as Colorado’s starter for a fourth straight week, with Kansas State up next. The Wildcats have quarterback issues of their own. True freshman Kaneal Sweetwyne remains the backup.
If Lewis’ time at Colorado is over, it ended fast and without much fanfare.
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