In two seasons, Deion Sanders has turned Colorado from a program at the bottom of the Power Four to one that nearly won the Big 12 championship this season.
That success on the field has led to Sanders putting together a solid 2025 class late in the cycle. A few months back, it looked to be the exact opposite.
With the 14 signees they currently have, the Buffaloes‘ 2025 group ranks as the No. 39 class in the country and No. 6 in the Big 12.
More: New North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick’s current 2025 recruiting class
Julian Lewis is Colorado’s future at quarterback
Finding Shedeur Sanders’ successor was the most significant question when it came to Colorado past the 2024 season. That question was answered in late November.
Four-star quarterback Julian Lewis decommitted from USC on November 17. Four days later, he committed to Colorado and signed with the Buffaloes during the early signing period.
While 247Sports’ Composite Ranking has Lewis as the No. 37 player in the 2025 class, the site itself ranks him No. 115 nationally. He ranks as the No. 9 quarterback in the class.
Lewis is in the midst of a 14-0 season at Carrollton. This year, he’s completed 76% of his passes for 3,465 yards and 46 touchdowns, while keeping the team in the USA TODAY Sports Super 25 all season.
Buffaloes land an elite interior offensive lineman in Chauncey Gooden
So, who will protect Lewis once he gets to Boulder? The Buffaloes still have some work to do on the offensive line but landed a key piece to their future out of Nashville.
Lipscomb Academy four-star interior offensive lineman Chauncey Gooden back in June. He remained committed throughout the cycle and played a key role in helping recruit more talent to Boulder.
The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder ranks as the No. 194 player in the cycle and the No. 11 interior offensive lineman, according to 247Sports.
Lewis gets four-star weapons to work with
Of the five four-star signees in Colorado’s 2025 class, four are on the offensive side of the ball.
Lewis and Gooden make up the group’s core, but Lewis also has a pair of talented receivers with whom he’ll be heading into Boulder.
Both receivers come in the way of the Lone Star State in Adrian Wilson and Quanell X Farrakhan Jr.
Wilson ranks as the No. 34 receiver in the cycle, and Farrakhan is the No. 37 receiver.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: Coach Prime Effect? Colorado football’s 2025 recruiting class
