- Lewis made his first collegiate start against West Virginia, throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns.
- Under NCAA rules, a player can compete in up to four games without losing a season of eligibility.
- Lewis, who reclassified to start college early, has now played in three games with two remaining.
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders plans to burn the redshirt year of freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis by having him play in the final three games of the regular season, including his first start Saturday at West Virginia.
Lewis and Colorado lost that game, 29-22, but Lewis provided a spark for the Buffaloes after two straight blowout losses. Sanders said last week it would be up to Lewis if he wanted to redshirt this season or not. On Saturday, Lewis answered that by saying he wants to play out the season instead of redshirting.
“Oh yeah, I want to play football,” Lewis said when asked about his redshirt potential after the game in Morgantown, W.V. “I’ve been sitting down all season, man. I’m ready to play.”
What is the college football redshirt rule?
By NCAA rule, a player “may compete in up to four contests in a season without using a season of competition.”
Lewis has now played in three games for Colorado with two games left in the regular season. If he plays in the final two games, he will be a sophomore next year with three seasons of college eligibility left. If he plays in only one or none of the final two games, this year would be considered a redshirt year. He’d then have four seasons of college eligibility left, starting next season as a redshirt freshman.
TNT broadcast the game Saturday and also reported Colorado confirmed plans to play Lewis in the final three games instead of redshirting him. It’s a way to turn the page on a bad season by investing in next year now.
The NCAA’s redshirt rule also is being challenged in federal court by a lawsuit that seeks to allow players to be able to play five seasons, not four. If that succeeds, the issue for Lewis could be moot. A judge is expected to rule on a preliminary injunction in the case after a court hearing in Nashville on Dec. 15.
Meanwhile, Colorado’s previous starting quarterback, Kaidon Salter, is in his final year of college eligibility and is now the backup quarterback for the Buffaloes, which dropped to 3-7 this season with the loss.
“He did some wonderful things that you could see that he’s gonna be special,” Sanders said about Lewis after the game. “He did some things that you could see his youth. But overall, to me, the kid played well. He played the game well enough for us to win the game.”
How did Julian Lewis do in his first college start?
He completed 22-of-35 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. It was his first college start after coming off the bench in two prior games.
He also was sacked seven times behind an offensive line that was missing star left tackle Jordan Seaton. Seaton didn’t play because of an apparent lower leg injury.
Lewis recently turned 18 years old and would have been a senior in high school this year in Carrollton, Ga., but reclassified so he could start college a year early.
“I felt amazing, playing football again, realistically as a starter,” Lewis said. “But of course, it hurts, the loss. You gotta play better.”
It was the best a Colorado quarterback has played in a month. Colorado now has an off week next week before finishing the regular season with a home game against Arizona State Nov. 22, followed by the regular-season finale at Kansas State Nov. 29.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
