USC commit Julian Lewis the youngest football player ever to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated

Even prior to his August 22 commitment to USC, Julian Lewis was among the hottest of topics in the football recruiting world. After all, he is the No. 1 ranked prospect in the class of 2026. But after today, Lewis won’t just be talked about in the recruiting world, but instead just the *sports* world.

As of this morning, Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis became the youngest football player ever to don the cover of Sports Illustrated.

His feature comes as part of SI’s ‘The Money Issue’, which focuses on some of the biggest names in the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) space. Some of the other names involved are LSU star gymnast Olivia Dunne, LSU women’s basketball star Angel Reese, and Michigan running back Blake Corum. Lewis’ story was written by Brian Burnsed.

The NIL ability of Lewis

As such a big name in the recruiting landscape, NIL has been one of the largest discussions when it comes to Lewis, especially when he committed to USC. The SI story talks about Lewis playing the long game in his NIL endeavors due to Georgia not yet allowing high school athletes to benefit.

Even as a 15-year old, Lewis has the eyes of major, national brands eager to work and partner with the young prodigy. But again, living in Georgia, he is not able to accept at this time.

“…the endorsement deals he’s been offered—and turned down. According to Donald Woodard, an attorney advising the Lewis family, Julian has passed on more than seven figures’ worth of deals,” wrote Burnsed.

On3’s College Sports Business Reporter, Pete Nakos, wrote about Lewis picking USC and how it was a smart decision for his financial future.

“Playing in front of the Los Angeles market could translate to more NIL opportunities. Similar to Bronny James‘ decision to stay home, the City of Angels provides all the resources needed to shoot quality content for brands. Most companies who will want to align with him have offices in the nation’s second-largest city. Filming a commercial and zipping back to campus for practice could be an average day for Lewis.”

“The USC brand itself is one of the most valuable in college sports, too. As the NIL market continues to develop, more endorsement deals could incorporate institutional marks. [Caleb] Williams showed that in his most recent NIL campaign with United, posing in a USC uniform on an airport tarmac.”

Former USC stars to appear on the cover of SI

USC’s rich athletic history and Sports Illustrated’s historically massive reach have combined many times before. Some of the names to appear on the cover as USC football players include:

Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, JuJu Smith Schuster, Carson Palmer, Sam Darnold, Matt Barkley, Mark Sanchez, Clay Matthews, Brian Cushing, Junior Seau, Keyshawn Johnson, OJ Simpson, Troy Palamalu, and many others.

All eyes on Lewis (now and in the future)

Lewis is already being watched like a hawk by many in the recruiting landscape (media, fans, coaches, recruits, etc.), but there are only a select few moments he is in the view of the public such as games, camps, and 7-on-7 tournaments.

This is where, what I believe is, one of the most interesting aspects of the Sports Illustrated story comes in to play. Lewis’ father, T.C., knows what his son is and can be with his talents. And they are making sure to document to story along the way. Brian Burnsed gave details on what that means.

“Julian brought more than just talent with him to Carrollton: In January 2022, having been enraptured by a documentary on Tua Tagovailoa’s development, Julian and T.C. reached out to Scotty McKnight, the film’s producer and a former standout receiver at Colorado. Early conversations on Instagram evolved into a plan for McKnight’s team to shadow Julian throughout his high school years. The project has since been sold to HBO and Warner Bros., and it will chronicle the entirety of Julian’s high school career. For now, Julian will not be compensated, though he and T.C. believe the benefit to his personal brand could be immense.”

“As he started to pile up gargantuan stats, leading previously unranked Carrollton to an undefeated regular season, some teachers at the school began to ask for autographs. College coaches laid siege—95 came to spring workouts this year—while McKnight’s camera crew loitered about.”

This is likely a documentary, or film, that will be four to five years in the making. We are currently only in year two of his high school career, and there are already such some major points in the story to document, one of the biggest being his commitment to USC.