Deion Sanders sounds off about perceived bias toward Colorado in recruiting rankings
Deion Sanders has had no problem stirring controversy or making headlines during his first 18 months at Colorado, and on Wednesday night he took issue with recruiting rankings.
Sanders tweeted: “To whom it may concern if u desire to come play for us @CUBuffsfootball they may drop your HS rankings just because. I have a friend name LuLu from Ft. Myers they did that to years ago and they’re still doing it now. Fortunately we don’t care about rankings.”
The second-year head coach is almost assuredly referring to top Buffaloes’ flip target and USC five-star quarterback commit Julian Lewis.
The 6-foot, 185-pound Lewis has been one of the top high school players in the country since early in his career, and is currently ranked as a top-two prospect nationally by a pair of recruiting services.
In their most recent rankings updates though, both On3 and 247Sports rated Lewis as a four-star prospect, dropping him to No. 22 nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
On3 ranks Lewis as the No. 44 prospect nationally in its own rankings, while 247 dropped him from No. 16 nationally to No. 46 — with both ranking him as the No. 7 QB in the class.
In breaking down his ranking of the quarterbacks in the 2025 class, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power wrote this about Lewis:
“USC commit Julian Lewis (No. 44) is a prolific passer at the high school level who looks to have the skill set of a high-floor distributor. Lewis is one of the more accurate quarterbacks in the cycle. His degree of technical polish and consistency allow for little variance on his passes, particularly in the short and intermediate areas of the field. At 6-foot, 186 pounds, Lewis may not have the physical or athletic traits of some other top quarterbacks in the cycle, but the one-time 2026 prospect is an experienced decision-maker and effective at getting the ball to playmakers.”
Lewis is No. 1 high school target for Sanders, Buffaloes
For most of the spring and summer, Lewis has been a major target for schools like Auburn, Indiana and Colorado, while the Trojans look to hold onto him.
He took official visits with each of the aforementioned schools, including his trip to Colorado where he posed with Buffaloes QB and Deion’s son, Shedeur Sanders, for a picture with Sanders handing him a set of keys.
Lewis has long been expected to make a final decision on his recruitment before his senior season starts in August. But whether he does or not, On3’s Steve Wiltfong reports that the Tigers are no longer a major threat in the race.
“Committed to USC since August, the Carrollton (Ga.) High product and reigning Peach State Gatorade Player of the Year also took official visits to Auburn, Colorado and Indiana. As it looks right now the regarding the Tigers, Lewis will probably end up elsewhere. There is a lot of smoke around Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes but don’t sleep on the Hoosiers. The Lewis family’s best relationship is with IU offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri.”