Why Did USC Trojans Commit Julian Lewis Flip To Colorado Buffaloes, Deion Sanders?

The USC Trojans landed five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet during the growing uncertainty of a potential flip from quarterback Julian Lewis. Following Longstreet's flip from Texas A&M, Lewis committed to Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes. A look at how it all unfolded.

Nov 23, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches the run of play during the 3rd quarter between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Colorado Buffaloes at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images / Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

The discussions surrounding the USC Trojans and their quarterback recruits were high throughout the 2024 season. Former USC commit Julian Lewis was ready to flip to the Colorado Buffaloes, and the Trojans landed former Texas A&M commit Husan Longstreet.

On3’s Steve Wiltfong and Keegan Pope had the exclusive on how the commitment from Longstreet came to be.

The USC Trojans received a commitment from Lewis in the summer of 2023. The four-star quarterback was from the class of 2026 when he committed, but reclassified to 2025 in Jan. 2024. Despite his commitment, Lewis never ended his recruiting process and kept up with communication and visits with other schools. 

Nov 23, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches the run of play during the 3rd quarter between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Colorado Buffaloes at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images / Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

In the fall of 2024, Lewis flipped his commitment to the Colorado Buffaloes, just days after the USC Trojans landed five-star quarterback, Longstreet.

It was known that while Lewis was committed to the Trojans, he was visiting other schools. On Oct. 26, Lewis made his fourth visit with Colorado coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes. This visit set off a chain reaction that led to Lewis decommitting from the Trojans on Nov. 18 and committing to Colorado on Nov. 21.

“He [Lewis] was committed to USC, but he continued to keep other schools warm. He continued to take other visits, and Lincoln Riley was patient with that for a long time,” Wilffong said.

Per the On3 Industry rankings, Lewis is the No. 56 player in the nation, the No. 7 quarterback, and the No. 7 player from Georgia. Lewis will likely be competing for the starting position with Colorado in 2025.

With quarterback Shedeur Sanders heading to the 2025 NFL Draft, the Buffaloes were in need of a quarterback. Deion Sanders made a strong push for Lewis in the fall, and it worked out. Sanders also committed an NCAA violation, using Lewis as an example of how he recruits players. The issue was Sanders used Lewis as the example before the quarterback decommitted from USC and flipped to Colorado.

Oct 20, 2023; Carrollton, GA, USA; Carrollton Trojans quarterback Julian Lewis (10) scrambles out of the pocket against the Westlake Lions during the first half at Grisham Stadium. The 15-year-old Carrollton High student has already committed to playing for the University of Southern California Trojans and has been considered one of the top high school quarterback prospects. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

With Lewis continuing to speak to other schools and remain open to the possibility of flipping his decision, USC coach Lincoln Riley knew that he would have to keep recruiting a quarterback. Riley had his eyes set on Longstreet, a California native.

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“Behind closed the doors the coaching staff worried that it might be left holding the bag if Lewis ultimately flipped. Over the summer and into the fall, they started making in-roads with local quarterback Husan Longstreet,” Pope wrote.

On Nov. 16, Longstreet visited the USC Trojans for their game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The visit was one day after USC quarterback coach Luke Huard attended the CIS state playoffs to watch Longstreet.

“I always had a relationship with Coach Huard since I was at Inglewood as a ninth grader,” Longstreet told On3. “The relationships already built and I feel real confident in the coaching staff.”

On Nov. 17, Longstreet flipped his commitment to the USC Trojans. Among the class of 2025, Longstreet is the No. 21 in the nation, the No. 4 quarterback, and the No. 2 player from California, per the On3 Industry Rankings. In the final rankings for the class of 2025, Longstreet was deemed a five-star quarterback.  

“After hosting Longstreet on multiple occasions privately during the season, they got him on campus for their game against Nebraska. And he ultimately wanted to be part of the class. With Lewis still an uncertainty, the Trojans took him,” Pope wrote.

Sep 21, 2024; Peoria, Ariz., U.S.; Centennial Huskies Quarterback Husan Longstreet (4) prepares to pass the ball at Liberty High School in Peoria on Sept. 21, 2024. / Diannie Chavez / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Just one day after the visit with the Trojans, Longstreet announced his commitment to USC. Lewis was still committed then, but there were high odds of him flipping. USC had to make a move to guarantee they would have a quarterback coming in. Soon after the commitment from Longstreet, Riley called Lewis to let him know USC would be going in another direction.

“He flips from the Aggies to USC, and then Lincoln Riley calls Julian Lewis and tells him they’re going in another direction at quarterback,” Wiltfong said. “He quickly announces a decommitment and then a week later, he’s in the fold for Colorado.”

While publicly it appeared that Lewis' chances of flipping was cause for concern for the Trojans, Riley was prepared. Riley kept up strong communication with Longstreet throughout the season and has his quarterback of the future.

Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes class of 2025 ranks No. 35 in the nation and No. 2 in the Big 12, per On3. Riley and the USC Trojans class of 2025 ranks No. 15 in the nation and No. 5 in the Big Ten. Lewis and Longstreet’s collegiate career will be something to watch, and likely compared to see who got the better end of the deal.

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