Colorado enters the season with Julian “JuJu” Lewis in a far better spot than he was a year ago, and that alone gives the Buffaloes a real chance to see what their redshirt sophomore quarterback can do.
Lewis is heading into his second year under Deion Sanders with more experience, a stronger cast around him and a fresh offensive staff in place. That combination has Colorado fans looking at a possible breakout in Boulder, one that could push the Buffs back into Big 12 contention.
The biggest shift comes with the arrival of new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brennan Marion. Marion has a reputation for building explosive offenses and developing quarterbacks, and Lewis says the change is already showing up in how he approaches the game.
"I'm actually looking at the defenses now," Lewis said during an interview on ESPNU at Big 12 Media Days. "Last year we weren't really looking at defenses much, just kind of high school, freeballing, just out there playing football. It's a lot bigger than that now, so, should be fun."
That kind of comment tells you how much growth Colorado expects from Lewis in Year 2. He’s not just relying on raw talent anymore. He’s starting to process the game the way a college quarterback has to, and that matters as he learns Marion’s Go-Go offense.
If that learning curve keeps moving in the right direction, Lewis could start to tap into the ability that made him one of the top quarterback prospects in the country coming out of high school.
The help around him is no small thing, either. Colorado’s receiving group is loaded with production and speed.
Danny Scudero arrives as the nation’s leading pass catcher after putting up 88 receptions for 1,297 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. DeAndre Moore Jr. brings SEC experience from Texas, where he was the No. 20 player in the transfer portal and caught 38 passes for 532 yards and four scores last season in 11 games.
There’s more firepower behind them. Kam Perry earned All-MAC First Team honors at Miami (Ohio) after averaging 22.7 yards per catch, while Ernest Campbell gives Colorado another vertical threat with familiarity in Marion’s system. Campbell originally signed with Texas A&M, ran track there and finished 22nd in the 100 meters at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships before following Marion to Sacramento State, where he posted 755 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
Lewis also has a chance to reconnect with Joseph Williams, a receiver he already showed chemistry with in his first collegiate start against West Virginia. In that game, Lewis and Williams hooked up three times for 64 yards, including a 42-yard deep ball and a 9-yard touchdown.
Of course, none of it works if Lewis doesn’t get enough protection. Marion thinks Colorado made its biggest offseason leap in the trenches.
"Offensive line-wise, we're better than we were at Texas," Marion told The Athletic. "We're bigger.
We're more physical. This will be the best offensive line that I've ever had."
Colorado didn’t simply try to replace star left tackle Jordan Seaton, who left for LSU with another star lineman. Instead, Sanders rebuilt the group with depth, size and Power Four experience in mind. Bo Hughley, Jayvon McFadden, Demetrius Hunter, Taj White and Jose Soto all give the Buffs a deeper, more seasoned front.
Put it all together and Lewis looks set up as well as he has been at any point in his young career: another offseason of growth, a new coaching staff, a loaded receiver room and an offensive line Marion believes is the best he’s ever coached. If it all comes together, Colorado could be back in the Big 12 title mix.
In Other News...
Purdue Just Landed A Nonconference Spotlight Game With Real Stakes
Colorados nonconference schedule is getting a real measuring-stick game, with the Buffaloes set to face Purdue in the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Dec. 19, 2026. For Tad Boyle, its the kind of matchup that should tell his team a lot before Big 12 play begins, especially against a Boilermakers program that brings size, structure and the sort of national profile that can expose where a roster still needs work.
The setting only adds to the challenge, since this figures to be one of the more demanding games on Colorados 2026 slate and a showcase that will draw plenty of attention. It also carries a personal wrinkle for center Eric Jacobsen, who is looking forward to the trip and the chance to be part of a frontcourt battle that gives the night a little extra edge beyond the usual nonconference spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Three Colorado Camp Battles Could Make Or Break The 2026 Season
Fall camp is doing what it always does for a program still sorting itself out: forcing Colorado to turn practice reps into decisions. The Buffaloes are using August to trim a crowded depth chart at a few spots that can swing a season, with the nickelback job, both tackle spots and the defensive front all under the microscope as the staff works toward a clearer picture before the opener at Georgia Tech.
At nickelback, freshman Preston Ashley has emerged as a name to watch while Boo Carter has been moved outside and other transfers keep pressing. Up front, the tackle mix includes Georgia transfer Bo Hughley, Cal transfer Leon Bell and Rutgers transfer Taj White, with Phillip Houston and Larry Johnson III still in the conversation, and the defensive line has its own long list of contenders led by Santana Hopper, Ezra Christensen, Tyler Moore, Samu Taumanupepe and several others. The common thread is simple enough: Colorado does not just need bodies in camp, it needs answers, and it needs them soon. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Just Added Another Four-Star To A Rebuild Fans Desperately Need
Colorados rebuild along the offensive line got another boost with the addition of Dewey Young, a four-star prospect in the 2027 class who joins fellow lineman LiMarcus Jones in giving the Buffaloes some much-needed future heft up front. Young has been viewed as one of the better interior line targets in the cycle, and his commitment fits the broader push under Deion Sanders and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion to stockpile the kind of blockers that can change the look of the offense.
Rivals has Young as the Big 12s top-ranked interior offensive lineman in the class, and while he is listed at left tackle in high school, the expectation is that he ends up at guard in college. That matters for Colorado because the staff is not just chasing talent, it is trying to build a clearer identity in the trenches, with Andre Gurode set to help guide the line room. For a program still trying to stabilize its front, landing another highly regarded piece there is the sort of development that can make the long view feel a little less distant. [Read more 🡒]