Colorado’s quarterback picture has flipped fast, and ESPN’s latest ranking makes that plain.
Julian Lewis, who entered the 2026 season with plenty of buzz, landed at No. 61 in ESPN’s first ranking of all 68 quarterbacks from the Power 4 conferences. That puts him near the bottom of the list and only one spot better than where he sat in ESPN’s spring quarterback rankings, when he was No. 62.
Lewis’ numbers help explain why the ranking looks so harsh. Through four games, he completed 61 of 95 passes for 733 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions.
ESPN listed his Total QBR at 49.6 and noted 15 rushing yards. His work against Power 4 competition was flagged as a concern, and that appears to be driving much of the evaluation.
That is a steep fall from the expectations attached to him not long ago. The former five-star recruit was considered one of the more intriguing young quarterbacks in the country after getting an early start to his college career in 2025. As a true freshman, he played in four games, started two, and finished 52 of 94 passing for 589 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Colorado had gone into the season treating Lewis as its clear QB1. ESPN’s preseason projection had him as the Buffaloes’ starter and pointed to both his previous experience and the traits he showed after his freshman year. But that plan has changed.
Against Baylor, Lewis started and then gave way to Isaac Wilson in the second half. Lewis went 11 of 16 for 75 yards before the switch. Wilson then came in and gave Colorado a jolt, completing 12 of 25 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown.
Wilson helped the Buffaloes climb out of a 10-point hole and tie the game at 13 early in the fourth quarter when he hit Joseph Williams on a 17-yard touchdown. Baylor still finished the job and won 23-13, but Wilson’s second-half performance pushed the quarterback battle right back to the front of the conversation.
That matters because Wilson already has Power 4 starting experience. Before arriving at Colorado, he played at Utah and started seven games as a true freshman in 2024, throwing for 1,510 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Now he has officially worked with the first team in practice and is expected to start against No. 12 Texas Tech. That gives him a real chance to claim the job and turn his strong showing against Baylor into something more lasting.
For Lewis, the ranking is another sign of how quickly the season has shifted away from the script Colorado hoped for. His recruiting profile and upside still stand out, but the immediate reality is different now. Wilson gets the next shot, and the quarterback situation becomes one of the main storylines as the Buffaloes head into the Red Raiders game.
In Other News...
Deion Sanders Just Put Colorados Biggest Early Problem In Focus
Colorados early-season slide has turned what once looked like a promising start into a much harsher reality. The Buffaloes are sitting at 2-3 with a three-game losing streak, and the reasons are piling up fast: injuries, uneven execution and a quarterback situation that has not settled the way the staff needs it to. Even so, the defense has held up better than most of the rest of the roster, which only sharpens the contrast with an offense that has struggled to find any rhythm.
Deion Sanders has already put his finger on the bigger issue, and it goes beyond one bad half or one tough matchup. He has pointed to preparation, quarterback play and discipline, with Colorado leading the Big 12 in penalties and sitting at the bottom of the league in scoring and red-zone conversion. Those are the kinds of numbers that dont just explain a losing streak, they define the challenge in front of a team still trying to figure out who it wants to be. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Fans Can Feel The Pressure Building Around Isaac Wilson
Colorados latest loss, a 29-7 setback to No. 12 Texas Tech, left the Buffaloes searching for answers as the losing streak kept growing and the offense again stalled at a frustrating pace. Isaac Wilson tried to shoulder the blame afterward, and the freshman quarterbacks day summed up the problem in one snapshot: 290 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in a game where the scoreboard never really reflected enough consistent momentum.
Deion Sanders pointed to one position group as the biggest issue holding the team back, though he stopped short of naming it publicly, while also giving the defense credit for keeping the game from getting even further out of hand. For Colorado, the concern now is less about a single bad afternoon than the pressure building around Wilson and an offense that has yet to find a steady rhythm while the losses continue to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Joseph Williams Is Giving Colorado Something It Desperately Needs
Joseph Williams has become one of the most encouraging parts of Colorados offense over the past month, giving the Buffaloes a reliable target just as the unit has continued to search for stability. Over the last four weeks, he has piled up 30 catches for 431 yards and five touchdowns, production that has helped keep the passing game moving even as the team has worked through a quarterback change with Isaac Wilson now in the starting role.
His latest outing against Texas Tech was another reminder of how important he has become, with 10 receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown in a loss. For Colorado, Williams emergence is more than just a hot streak - it is a sign that the offense may have found a dependable playmaker at a time when it badly needs one. [Read more 🡒]