Colorado self-reported a minor violation of NCAA rules because a prominent member of Colorado’s 2025 recruiting class was mentioned on Deion Sanders’ coaches show.
According to records obtained by USA TodayColorado self-reported two violations involving five-star quarterback Julian Lewis. Former USC commit transferred to Colorado in November and signed with the Buffaloes in December. But college coaches aren’t supposed to mention the names of recruits who haven’t officially signed with their school. And Sanders said Lewis’ name during a performance before officially signing with the school when indirectly asked about the quarterback’s commitment.
Sanders then gave an example of how he recruited Lewis.
“Hey, call JuJu and call her dad,” Sanders said as an example. “See if his dad wants to come sit and chop him with me.”
“He sat in my office a few weeks ago, I think, for a few hours,” Deion Sanders said on the show about the father. “I said, ‘Come on, give me everything because I know you have a lot of questions in mind. Let’s do it.’ And we did it. And he came away feeling really comfortable about where we’re going.”
The other infraction occurred when the host of a coaches show mentioned Lewis’ name in a question asked of Sanders before Lewis signed.
According to the report, Colorado added rules training for Sanders and gave itself a four-day reduction in in-person recruiting during the spring recruiting period. The two shows that generated the NCAA violations have been removed from YouTube, and Sanders’ show will no longer be streamed live on the platform in the future.
Lewis is one of the best players in the class of 2025 and a big reason why Colorado has the 40th-ranked high school class in the country despite only 14 recruits signing. Syracuse is three spots above the Buffaloes with 35 total high school recruits.
The Carrollton, Ga., native is the No. 10 player in the country and the No. 1 player in his state. He is the third pro-style QB in the 2025 class behind Ohio State signee Tavien St. Clair and Michigan signee Bryce Underwood. These are the only three five-star pro-style QBs in Rivals’ rankings.
Lewis appears ready to take over as Colorado’s starter in 2026. With Shedeur Sanders headed to the NFL, Colorado added former Liberty QB Kaidon Salter for his final season of eligibility in 2025. Deion Sanders, quant to him, seems ready to stay in Boulder after all possibilities. of him coaching the Cowboys seems to have fizzled. Sanders did not interview with Dallas since the Cowboys interviewed former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer a second time on Thursday.
