Colorado QB Julian Lewis reportedly eyed Georgia Tech transfer during offseason
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The Colorado Buffaloes are now a week away from opening the 2026 season at Georgia Tech. What will be a homecoming for quarterback Julian Lewis is also the start of his first season leading the offense in Boulder.
Lewis, who turned down USC to commit to Deion Sanders and Colorado, has established himself as the starter. He's also learning on the fly with Brendan Marion's Go-Go offense. The former five-star out of Carrollton High School got to this point, but nearly left the Buffs earlier this year.
According to Georgia Tech insider Kelly Quinlan, Lewis was quietly exploring his exit from Colorado to be back home in Atlanta. If everything played out the way it was supposed to be, he would've been on the opposite sideline facing the Buffs.
"A few people around Lewis were interested in him replacing Haynes King as the Jackets' quarterback," Quinlan wrote. "Multiple sources confirmed to JacketsOnline that people representing Lewis inquired about the talented quarterback coming home to Atlanta to play for Tech. This happened in early January when the transfer portal was still open. All communication was through back channels."
Lewis didn't have to look far to try and gauge Tech's interest, considering his father, T.C., is part of The Network Advisory, who represents him and is in Atlanta.
One of the biggest questions that faced Colorado at the end of last season was Lewis' status for the 2026 season. Some around the program thought he was going to be part of the mass exodus. However, Lewis never entered the portal and decided to stay with Sanders, who hired Marion to rework the offense. He ended the season as the starter after Colorado's QB carousel took many turns.
Georgia Tech needed a replacement for King and considered a few options. Alberto Mendoza, the younger brother of Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, landed in Atlanta after winning a national championship as backup for Indiana. He's ready to create his own legacy in college football. During the few times Mendoza entered the game last season, he immediately showed flashes of greatness. Being with the Jackets will put him on a path to escape out of his brother's shadow.
If Mendoza had stayed in Bloomington, there would've been a constant comparison to his brother. That's a tough place to be considering how last year went for the Hoosiers. There aren't many QB's who would live up to the success of winning the Heisman, a national championship and guiding a team to college football's best record in nearly a century.
Lewis and the Buffs will try and start the season off on the right foot. Homecoming or not, this is time for the redshirt freshman passer to prove he's ready to take the reins.
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