Deion Sanders began to lay the groundwork for the upcoming era of Colorado football on Wednesday by signing 14 new high school recruits for his program for 2025, including what could be the starting quarterback for the next season − Julian “JuJu” Lewis from Carrollton High in Georgia.

This marks his third major roster overhaul at Colorado, this time without two of the top players in the school’s history – two-way standout Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who is also the head coach’s son.

The current recruiting class holds the No. 37 spot nationally according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, placing it fourth in the Big 12 Conference, behind TCU, Baylor, and Kansas State. Texas holds the top overall ranking as of Wednesday afternoon.

High school recruiting is just one aspect of Sanders’ overall approach. The transfer portal for recruits will open on Monday, and Sanders is determined to “attack that portal like it’s never been attacked before.” “My overall takeaway is that high school recruiting was prioritized much more this year after he focused on two portal classes (since 2023) and successfully brought in some top talent for this class,” noted Adam Gorney, national recruiting director for Rivals.com. “It wasn’t merely about rounding out the roster with portal players… Clearly, JuJu Lewis is the main attraction here.”

The recruitment of JuJu Lewis indicates that Sanders is establishing a foundation at CU. Lewis has guided his high school team to an impressive 13-0 record this season and intends to enroll in January. His signing on Wednesday appears to clarify a widely discussed topic in college football over the last 15 months: Is Deion Sanders considering departing from Colorado in the near future, particularly after his two sons leave the team at the end of this season?

It’s uncertain whether Lewis would have chosen Colorado if he had other options. Last year, Lewis pledged to Southern California but explored other campuses before revealing his choice to join Colorado last month, where the Buffaloes (9-3) will start preparing for a bowl game later this month, likely the Alamo Bowl on December 28.

“It was significant for Deion to accomplish this, as I believe he needed to assure JuJu and his family that he would remain in Boulder,” Gorney shared with USA TODAY Sports.

JuJu Lewis is also receiving support at Colorado. The alarming aspect for opponents of Colorado is that Lewis may surpass Shedeur in skill, based on recruiting ratings. In 2021, Shedeur Sanders was rated as the 26th best quarterback recruit in the country by 247Sports’ composite rankings. He initially committed to Florida Atlantic but chose to play for his father at Jackson State before moving on to Colorado, where he currently leads the nation with a 74.2% completion rate.

Lewis is ranked 6th nationally as a quarterback, according to the same ranking service. Additionally, he’s gaining some significant talent to protect him in Boulder. Colorado added three offensive linemen on Wednesday, including tackle Carde Smith, who is a 6-foot-5, 300-pound blocker from Mobile, Alabama. He changed his commitment from USC to join JuJu at CU and is recognized as the 18th best offensive tackle by Rivals.

“Can’t wait to get up there in Boulder and get to work,” Smith said in a video shared on social media on Wednesday.

Deion Sanders has gained a reputation for being a force in the transfer portal rather than excelling in high school recruiting. His 2024 transfer class earned the top ranking from Rivals. He began the season with 39 new scholarship players who transferred from other four-year institutions, while only adding 11 new high school scholarship recruits. The high school recruiting class from last year was ranked No. 95 nationally, primarily due to its limited size, according to 247Sports’ composite.

“We don’t recruit many high school athletes, and the ones we do bring in are expected to contribute right away,” Sanders stated at a recent news conference. “We want them to make an impact.”

In his inaugural season as head coach, Sanders kicked off the 2023 campaign with 17 new scholarship players from high school, versus 47 scholarship transfer recruits from other four-year schools. Of those 17 high school scholarship players, only nine remained a year later. This reinforces the pro culture within the team, as newcomers are required to perform at a high level to stay with so many experienced transfers joining the squad.

“We achieved our goals,” Sanders remarked last week regarding his latest batch of high school recruits.

He secured commitments from schools in seven different states, including his native Florida, where he picked up edge rusher London Merritt from IMG Academy after he had initially pledged to Ohio State. According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Merritt is ranked No. 13 at that position. On Wednesday, Sanders also brought in three wide receiver prospects to help address some of the gap left by Hunter, who is set to enter the NFL next season.

Yes, one recruit who had committed to Colorado in April chose not to sign with the Buffaloes on Wednesday: cornerback Alex Graham from Cass Technical High School in Detroit. On Wednesday, Graham declared that he would instead sign with USC.

His choice caused Colorado’s national recruiting ranking to drop a few spots, but that doesn’t worry Sanders, who has the option to explore other prospects in the transfer portal.

High school football recruits set to join Colorado for 2025
The recruits graduating from high school who begin their enrollment at Colorado in January will have the opportunity to practice with the team prior to the Buffs competing in a bowl game. These are the recruits the university announced as signed on Wednesday, coinciding with the first day of the early signing period, which lasts until Friday:

• QB Julian Lewis, Carrollton, Georgia.
• OT Carde Smith, Mobile, Alabama.
• OG Chauncey Gooden, Nashville, Tennessee.
• OT Jay Gardenhire, West Bloomfield, Michigan.
• WR Quentin Gibson, Fort Worth, Texas
• WR Adrian Wilson, Pflugerville, Texas
• WR Quanell Farrakhan Jr., Houston, Texas
• TE Zayne DeSouza, Loveland, Colorado.
• TE Corbin Laisure, Johnson City, Tennessee.
• DE London Merritt, Bradenton, Florida.
• DT Alexander McPherson, Bradenton, Florida.
• DL Christian Hudson, Daytona Beach, Florida.
• LB Mantrez Walker, Buford, Georgia.
• S TJ Branch, Miami, Florida.