Deion Sanders made it plain: Julian Lewis is still in the middle of becoming the kind of quarterback Colorado wants him to be.
That message came through loudest on Sept. 22, when Sanders was pressed about Lewis’ place in the Buffaloes’ locker room and why the quarterback still isn’t wearing the “D” or “L” patch fans have noticed. Sanders uses the “D” to signal dog on the field and the “L” for leader, and Lewis, by the coach’s own assessment, isn’t there yet as a full-fledged leader.
“I told y’all he’ll be coming around the mountain, so what does that mean…He ain’t there yet … I can’t expect something out of you that’s not in you. That’s not an insult,” Sanders explained with a raised voice.
Sanders’ point wasn’t to tear Lewis down. It was to draw a line between what a player is right now and what he can grow into. For Sanders, the job is to recognize a player’s best version and call it out, not pretend every piece is already in place.
That conversation came after Lewis had a rough afternoon against Northwestern, one that included multiple interceptions and a low completion percentage. It was the kind of outing that can expose a young quarterback in a hurry.
Even so, Sanders has already been in Lewis’ corner. After the 41-7 loss to Northwestern, he pushed back on the idea of piling extra pressure onto his quarterback.
“Don't put that much pressure on him; let's take it off,” Sanders said. “That's going to happen.
You didn't think we were going to go through the darn whole season without a pick [did you]? That's not going to happen.”
Lewis, though, did turn in the most turnover-heavy game of his young career, and Colorado never found a way to recover once the Wildcats got rolling.
Now the focus shifts fast. Colorado opens Big 12 play on Sept. 26 at Baylor, and Lewis goes into that game with a sharper spotlight on him than before. It’s a chance to answer back, to show some progress after the Northwestern loss, and to start proving he can handle the weight that comes with the position.
There’s also another layer to this moment inside the Colorado program. Sanders dismissed some members of the 2026 Buffaloes for what he called conduct detrimental to the team, which leaves Lewis in a spot where he can help steady the group and speak through what’s left in the locker room.
For Sanders, the message is clear: Lewis is still developing. For Lewis, the Baylor game is another opening to show that the leadership side Sanders keeps talking about is starting to come into view.
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