Colorado coach Deion Sanders has pulled off another five-star stunner.

Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, who had been committed to USC since August 2023 but backed off his pledge in recent days, has pledged to the Buffaloes following numerous visits to Boulder and a lot of impressive recruiting by Sanders, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and others.

Rated as the sixth-best player and the third-best quarterback in the 2025 class - after reclassifying from 2026 - Lewis is ranked behind only Ohio State commit Tavien St. Clair and LSU pledge Bryce Underwood at the position.

With his commitment to the Buffaloes, the Big 12 team that has been transformed into a College Football Playoff contender in only Sanders’ second season now has a natural progression at the all-important position of quarterback from Shedeur Sanders to the Carrollton, Ga., five-star.

Lewis was at Georgia this past weekend but after the Bulldogs took four-star Ryan Montgomery in the spring it never really picked up again between the five-star and the in-state power much throughout his recruitment.

Indiana made an interesting run and the Hoosiers seemed to be really interesting at numerous points this fall as the they have been the shocking team in college football this season plus Lewis has a long-standing relationship with coach Tino Sunseri dating back to his Florida State days but it never materialized into a commitment.

There was a lot of talk that Lewis would stick with USC but there seemed to be some orchestration in recent days that the Trojans were not surprised by the five-star’s decision to de-commit.

USC position coach Luke Huard was at Corona (Calif.) Centennial’s playoff game on Friday night, a win over Mission Viejo, Calif., for four-star then-Texas A&M commit Husan Longstreet, who visited USC for its game on Saturday and then flipped to the Trojans by the end of the weekend.

Lewis’ flirtation with Colorado has been longstanding and consistent.

The five-star has taken numerous trips to Boulder, gotten to know and appreciate Sanders and how he’s running that program and especially has a strong connection with Shurmur. There is a high level of respect for Shurmur’s NFL bona fides and his play-calling this season with the Buffaloes that went a long way in this decision.

There has also been what has been described as a very comprehensive and competitive NIL package to get Lewis to Boulder which is another major consideration in today’s recruiting landscape.

And the Buffaloes might not be done with five-star and other elite prospects.

Five-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng and five-star offensive tackle Michael Carroll both visited in recent days and the returns have been excellent.

Four-star defensive end London Merritt, who’s been committed to Ohio State since late March, has one more trip to Columbus and said he will then decide between the two programs. Four-star OL Carde Smith backed off his USC pledge on Wednesday and Colorado could be a frontrunner.

And Lewis’ commitment could spark new interest from elite skill players across the country as the five-star quarterback’s decision is now public.