Five-star quarterback and No. 1 overall prospect Julian Lewis has released his official visit schedule for the coming months and it’s an interesting group.
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney breaks each visit down as Lewis takes one more trip around the country before closing down his recruitment for good.
GEORGIA: May 31-June 2
Lewis lives less than three hours from Athens. He’s been to campus numerous times, sat with coach Kirby Smart during a basketball game this season and there is clearly a ton to like about the Bulldogs from offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to the development of Carson Beck to the chance to play for national championships - that’s the expectation - on the biggest stage in the SEC.
NIL deals in Atlanta could be appealing and intriguing. Also, after this season when Beck leaves the quarterback situation is wide open in Athens so Lewis would have an opportunity to come in right away and play which is an appealing consideration for the family.
One other factor that Lewis and those close to him like is that Georgia’s offense is NFL-centric and it boasts an offensive line where the five-star would hardly ever get touched and have the ability to sit in the pocket to deliver his throws.
There have been numerous opportunities for Lewis during visits or after them to Athens to flip to the Bulldogs. He hasn’t done it yet but the rest of his official visits could be compared to his first one at Georgia.
USC: June 7-9
Coach Lincoln Riley is a quarterback whisperer, NFL teams have come to study his offense and he’s now going to have three Heisman Trophy winners and, maybe even more importantly, three No. 1 NFL Draft picks at QB in Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams.
What Lewis and his family love about Riley, too, is that he constructs his offense around his personnel, not the other way around, so there will be subtle tweaks for Lewis that Williams or others did not have to suit his style of play, his strengths, to minimize any weaknesses and the show goes on that way.
Los Angeles affords NIL opportunities maybe not possible anywhere else among his favorites, there is a certain limelight factor here playing under the big lights in front of celebrities who will come out and pay attention if USC is winning and Lewis wouldn’t be playing in Pac-12 backwaters anymore like Pullman and Corvallis but at Ohio State, Michigan and other Big 10 powerhouses.
He’s been committed to USC since August prior to this past season and then reclassified so he’s essentially skipping a year of high school ball to get into college earlier.
AUBURN: June 14-16
Quarterback Payton Thorne threw 16 touchdowns and 10 picks last season for first-year coach Hugh Freeze so despite Freeze being a phenomenal offensive tactician, if the players aren’t on the team then only so much can be accomplished offensively. In 2022, Robby Ashford threw seven TDs and seven interceptions. The year before that, Bo Nix fizzled out and then totally revitalized his career at Oregon and could be a first-round NFL Draft pick in a few weeks.
The quarterback cemetery that has been Auburn in recent years does not seem to scare off Lewis, he sees it more as an immediate opportunity to come in and be the man. Freeze’s offenses have traditionally served quarterbacks well and with that 2024 recruiting haul of five-star Cam Coleman and four-stars Perry Thompson and Bryce Cain, Lewis will have weapons all over the field.
Early playing time feels like a virtual guarantee if Lewis heads to The Plains. There are now legitimate receivers there and a coach whose offenses have put up numbers. Plus all of this is only 90 minutes away from home.
COLORADO: June 21-23
There is legitimate interest here as Lewis has taken multiple visits to Boulder and this last trip his father and coach Deion Sanders had some great talks about the vision for the Buffaloes and how Lewis could be a key part of it.
Early playing time is almost a certainty after Shedeur Sanders leaves for the NFL following this season. There is certainly a major limelight factor at Colorado playing for Sanders and the idea of building something special is considerable.
There are also concerns: After Shedeur Sanders leaves for the NFL there are far fewer things keeping Deion Sanders tied to Boulder. What if a school in the Southeast comes calling for Sanders?
What if going back into broadcasting for a massive payday is worth not having the coaching headache? Can Colorado build an offensive line - through high school recruiting or the portal - where the quarterback isn’t getting walloped?
There are definitely key factors here that intrigue Lewis, one of them being offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s NFL experience, but also some unknowns.
ALABAMA: Unofficial visit, date TBD
The Crimson Tide did not make Lewis’ official visit list but that should not be a reflection of disinterest because the five-star quarterback likes Alabama a lot, he just has a full schedule with the other trips.
Coach Kalen DeBoer’s offense is really quarterback-friendly, they will be passing the ball more than under former coach Nick Saban and there’s this idea - certainly understandable - that those who go to Alabama are put in incredible situations to succeed.
The quarterback history in Tuscaloosa is incredible, the winning ways should continue and while others have been mentioned more in Lewis’ recruitment, there’s no doubt the five-star is intrigued by the prospect of playing in Alabama’s system.
