"He will be better than Sanders": Fans make bold prediction for Julian Lewis after immaculate throw in recent practice 

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis reclassified from the class of 2026 and was named the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the class of 2026 by ESPN. After flipping his commitment from the USC Trojans in December, Lewis has been battling with former Liberty Flames quarterback Kaidon Salter for the QB1 jersey that was vacated by the NFL-bound Shedeur Sanders.

In a clip posted Tuesday by SkoBuffs on X/Twitter from spring practice, Lewis threw a dime to Colorado wide receiver Kam Mikell, evoking some of Shedeur Sanders' best throws from last season.

Julian Lewis' pass in training received mixed reactions from college football fans:

Some fans were high on Lewis's potential:

"He will be better than Sanders," one fan said.

"Yeah Nico ain’t coming to Colorado with Julian there," another fan wrote.

"Start him. Not other option," a fan added.

Analyst compares Julian Lewis to Shedeur Sanders

Kaidon Salter has more college football experience than Julian Lewis, having played for the Liberty Flames for four years. Last season, he was one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, registering 1,886 passing yards for 15 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 587 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

During an episode of the On3 podcast, analyst J. D Pickell analyzed the race between Salter and Lewis for the Colorado QB1 spot.

"Whoever does get the keys to the Colorado offense, they will not be driving this thing with training wheels," PicKell said. "That's not gonna be their identity. Not saying that they won't have a run game but the approach will be the same as when they had Shedeur Sanders in the lineup.

"They will push the ball downfield, they will pass a lot, they will be quarterback-driven. Skill player driven of course, offensive line will do their job but it will go as the quarterback goes. Julian Lewis should he win the job, he's the guy to drive this thing exactly in some sense how Shedeur Sanders would have driven it," he added.

(from 1:30 mark onwards)

Lewis was highly recruited by "Coach Prime", who went out of his way to compare him to his son, Shedeur Sanders, referencing his family background as a factor in his recruitment. Lewis was even included in the Buffs' training sessions in December as they prepared for their Alamo Bowl clash against the BYU Cougars.

During an episode of his "2Legendary" podcast in January, Shedeur Sanders revealed that he would act as a mentor to Julian Lewis as he attempted to fill his shoes in a Buffs team that also lost the talents of Heisman winner Travis Hunter.

Who do you think should start under center for the Colorado Buffaloes next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.