Julian Lewis makes feelings known about his starting QB rivalry with Kaidon Salter after Shedeur Sanders’ exit

Julian Lewis is looking to start at quarterback as a true freshman for the Colorado Buffaloes in 2025.

Colorado has had Shedeur Sanders start at QB for the past two seasons, but he is off to the NFL now. In the transfer portal, the Buffaloes landed Kaidon Salter from Liberty. So they now have Lewis battling for the QB1 spot with Salter.

Ahead of the 2025 college football season, Lewis is excited that Deion Sanders is giving him the chance to compete for the starting job with Salter.

"I'm just happy I get a chance to compete for the job. A lot of guys come into big situations. I had Shedeur leaving, so it's not like I have to compete against some senior who has been there for four years. They had Salter transfer in from Liberty, I'm just blessed to have the chance to compete," Lewis said on The Pivot Podcast at 9:22.

Salter played four years at Liberty, so he has the experience edge over Lewis, which would likely indicate that he would be the starter. However, Sanders and Colorado are allowing this to be a true competition between the two quarterbacks.

At Liberty last season, Salter went 147-for-261 for 1,886 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. Lewis, meanwhile, threw for 3,798 yards, 48 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions in high school last year.

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Julian Lewis believes learning from Shedeur Sanders will help him

After Julian Lewis decommitted from USC to go to Colorado, he left high school early.

Lewis was with the Buffaloes for their bowl game, and he believes spending time with Sanders and getting the chance to pick his brain will help him in the long run.

“It is definitely a blessing for me to have a guy like him that just came over the top of me,” Lewis said, via SI. “Just looking at it from another Black quarterback is always good to hear from. Even the older guys that have retired understanding their path. It’s humbling.”

Lewis reclassified to the class of 2025 to skip his final year of high school, which he says was always the goal. He is confident that he can compete at college in 2025 and is eager to win the starting job in camp.

The Buffaloes will open their 2025 college football season on August 29 against Georgia Tech.