Everything comes at a cost, they say. Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis has been head coach Deion Sanders’ apple of the eye. What has Coach Priome not done to woo him? As we all know, Boulder’s famous burger joint has a burger named after Lewis, known as the JuJu’s Precision Pass Burger. But at the same time, Lewis also had to make a sacrifice by moving out of Carrollton, his hometown.
As in his YouTube podcast, JuJu said, “Like I thought I had four years, I had three. No, it flew by. It flew by too fast. Now you’re out in a different state, away from your family.” Additionally, in the Boulder camp, his status as QB1 has yet to be confirmed, and he now has to compete for his role against Kaidon Salter, who is also vying for the position. But Salter is left way back as Lewis goes full throttle on the NIL track.
While Lewis is yet to grab the QB1 torch, he has already doubled his NIL as compared to his competitor, Salter. As On3 posted on August 14, “Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis has inked an equity deal with the energy drink Gym Weed. He has a $1.1 million On3 NIL Valuation and is competing with Kaidon Salter for the starting QB job in training camp.” As Lewis stands at $1 million, Salter has a long way to go to catch up with him on the NIL track. According to On3, Salter’s NIL valuation is currently projected at $592,000. Now what’s Lewis’ new NIL deal all about?
He will be starring in social media campaigns for the energy drink. Turns out that Lewis has found a purpose after signing this NIL deal with Gym Weed. “It’s more than an energy drink. As a student-athlete, I feel like the need to focus all day long is my reality, and that’s what made it a perfect fit for me. In NIL, the biggest thing I’ve learned is you’ve got to work with brands you actually believe in,” said the former Carrollton star. Going by the buzz, Lewis is also signing a marketing deal with Taco Bell. The fast food chain is going to launch a NIL campaign in its stores around Colorado, where the quarterback will have his collectible player cup as part of the “Buffs Box.” Talking about Lewis’ NIL growth?
Well, it started quite early. This time last year, he signed an NIL deal with one of the leading sportswear brands, Underarmour for their “Back to School” campaign. While playing for Carrollton High School, Lewis signed NIL deals with Leaf Trading Cards, jewelry brand Jaxxon, and Alo Yoga. Cut to Salter, the quarterback joined Liberty before the 2021 season. However, his NIL valuation has surged by $95,000 since last year. Meanwhile, from Lewis’ lofty NIL rise, we now can see how he is keeping his promise.
Julian Lewis is walking the path of his idol
Lewis can’t see Coach Prime being sad. After walking down his sons for the last time in Boulder, Deion got emotional, stating, “that walk won’t happen again.” That’s when Lewis made a sweet promise to be filling Shedeur’s spot, following in his footsteps that he had left behind in the Boulder camp. He posted a picture of the Buffs locker room with his No.10 jersey and Shedeur’s No.2 jersey hanging side-by-side. The caption read, “You left huge shoes to fill, but I promise to work to leave @CUBuffsFootball even better than I found it.”
Lewis had already taken Shedeur into confidence. Do you remember the photoshoot of the duo? JuJu was still not committed to Colorado, decked up in the Buffs jersey, and sat on the Buffs throne. Shedeur stood by his side, handing him the keys. It denoted a ‘passing the baton’ move. And the ex-Buffs quarterback also confirmed it with a tease. Showing light-hearted jealousy, he said, “I wouldn’t be mad at that cause you know whoever’s the next quarterback, which it should be Julian, but um he’ll be like his new son.”
Now, Lewis has actually become Shedeur’s shadow. Deion’s son gained both love and hate for his achievements in the NIL track. His initial value was around 1.3 million, which, after his big Colorado debut against TCU, jumped to $3.8 million. Before he took exit from college football, his NIL valuation reached it’s peak at $6.5 million. And Lewis is taking baby steps toward immitating his idol. Talking about following Shedeur to the T?
On July 9, the Colorado Buffaloes’ official IG page posted a picture of Julian Lewis. The caption read, “what time is it?.” And the pose? Shedeur’s very (in)famous watch flex pose. If fate’s kind, Lewis will dodge the off-field storms that once clouded Shedeur’s spotlight.
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