At Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas, Colorado quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis raised eyebrows by admitting he spent much of the 2025 season not properly reading opposing defences. Asked what he most wanted to improve, the former five-star recruit said he was now "actually looking at the defenses," having previously been "just kind of high school free-balling" — a candid remark that drew attention ahead of the 2026 campaign under head coach Deion Sanders.

Lewis arrived in Boulder as a highly touted freshman from Georgia and spent most of his first year backing up starter Kaidon Salter, seeing action in only a handful of games. His results were mixed: a 4:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio was encouraging, but a 0-2 record and a 55% completion rate underlined the room for growth. The article suggests Lewis likely did not mean the team ignored film study entirely, but rather that his in-game defensive reads are an area he is prioritising for the season ahead.