Julian Lewis reveals dream NIL deals he would sign
A rising star in the NIL world, Julian “Juju” Lewis is off to a strong start to his 2024 season. The USC quarterback commit recently threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns, along with a rushing score, to lead Carrollton (Ga.) to a 44-22 victory over Rome (Ga.) on Friday.
In addition to his status as a highly touted recruit, Lewis is also one of the biggest names from the 2025 recruiting class. Repped by Athletes First and Network Athletics, he has NIL deals with major brands such as Leaf Trading Cards and Cactus Jack as he starts his final year at Carrollton.
As for what Lewis’ dream NIL deal is, he told Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders there’s one company most every athlete hopes to come calling. In fact, Sanders recently signed on with that brand, too.
“Everybody wants that Jordan, Nike, all that stuff, that’s smooth,” Lewis said on Sanders’ 2Legendary podcast. “I think that’s every kid’s dream is getting a Nike deal.”
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When Sanders asked if he could hand-pick an endorsement deal, Lewis pointed out the list of Texas’ lineup of Lamborghinis in June. That, he said, was quite the way to catch recruits’ attention.
“I’m not gonna lie, Texas had all that Lambo stuff going on. That junt was cool,” Lewis said. “Like, when they had that stuff. Stuff like that, that’s an eye-catcher for being a 16-year-old. You’re like, gonna go and get a Lambo. Stuff like that. That junt cool. I don’t really know.”
Where Julian Lewis’ recruitment stands into September
Just a few games into his senior season at Carrollton, Lewis is still committed to USC. However, Indiana is still in pursuit, as On3’s Steve Wiltfong detailed in Monday’s Wiltfong Whiparaound.
Ahead of his season opener Aug. 16, Lewis addressed where things stood with his recruitment. He spoke with ESPN’s Craig Haubert and reiterated his commitment to Lincoln Riley and the Trojans as he looks at visits.
“As of right now, I’m still locked in with USC. That’s still where my home is. Taking visits is kind of a part of the process, I was going to go see what’s going on everywhere else, but I’m still USC right now,” Lewis said.
A five-star prospect, Lewis is the No. 23 overall recruit from the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 4-ranked quarterback in the nation.
More on Lewis’ growing NIL potential
With a strong social media following, Julian Lewis is one of the NIL pioneers at the high school level. In fact, he told On3’s Pete Nakos he bought his father a car with his earnings while attending the On3 Elite Series in Nashville in May.
Lewis’ first major NIL deal came with Leaf Trading Cards – an agreement worth more than six figure. He also signed on with men’s jewelry brand Jaxxon and with Alo Yoga. In April, Lewis also reached a deal with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack to appear in marketing materials for the company’s “Jack Goes Back to College” collection.
Lewis has an On3 NIL Valuation of $1.1 million, which sits second in the high school NIL rankings only behind LSU commit Bryce Underwood. The annual projection is sky-high because of the value his social media following provides to brands. Lewis also sits at No. 18 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation..
The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining Roster Value and personal NIL. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. NIL in an athlete’s name, image and likeness and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.