Colorado football’s head coach, Deion Sanders, announced on Tuesday that star freshman Julian Lewis would be sitting out in the final game against the Kansas State Wildcats to preserve his redshirt year.

The move was met with general excitement from Buffs fans, who were growing weary that a year of Lewis’ eligibility could be wasted on a three-win season. Yet there are always two sides to every coin, and while preserving Lewis’ redshirt year feels like the right move now, there are so many ways that plan can go awry.

Here are the pros and cons of the Colorado Buffaloes‘ move to sit Lewis and keep his redshirt year intact.

Pro: Another year to develop

There’s no doubt that Lewis’ performance against West Virginia inspires so much hope in the freshman, but outside of that, he has looked rough around the edges in his time under center. Especially against Arizona State and Arizona, Lewis looked overwhelmed by pressure at times and missed open wide receivers in crucial situations. It’s clear that behind this offensive line, Lewis won’t be at his best and could ultimately hinder his long-term development.

Con: No substitute for the real thing

With that said, Lewis needs in-game repetitions if he’s going to improve at the things he has struggled with. Getting another four quarters to analyze a hungry defense trying to beat you is immeasurably helpful for a young quarterback adapting to the speed of the college game. Kansas State’s defense has given up huge passing games, which could have helped build Lewis’ confidence and helped him slow the game down little by little.

Pro: A Buff for life?

Sanders is the head coach of Colorado for the near future, and so I have to assume he’s doing what is best for the Buffaloes’ program. To me, that signals that Lewis indicated some dedication and loyalty to Colorado to Sanders. That type of commitment is rare in today’s college football, especially for a highly touted freshman who could start anywhere in the Big 12 next season. Lewis is sticking out his college tenure as a Buff is a program-defining decision that inspires so much more hope after a disappointing 3-8 season.

Con: He is on the fastest route to the NFL

With Lewis redshirted, Colorado fans can only hope that Lewis turns out to be the real deal, yet there’s another side to that monkey’s paw. Even if Lewis stays loyal to the Buffs for the next two seasons, if he’s as good as he’s shown he can be, it will not be long before the NFL comes calling. The national media attention alone from Colorado will build a hype train around him, not seen since the early days of Shedeur Sanders in Boulder.

Pro: No time wasted

Nothing short of the word disaster can accurately describe the 2025 Colorado Buffaloes season. While the team was projected to be a Big 12 title contender, there was so much in front of them that could have turned this season around, and they dropped the ball at every turn. The season is lost; there’s no going back to win three games to push for a bowl game, so there is no real reason to throw Lewis to the wolves in hopes of winning a fourth and final game.

Con: What’s left for week 13?

While sitting Lewis might be the right move, it sure does take the wind out of the sails for this final game against Kansas State. I’ve been one of Kaidon Salter’s strongest supporters and hoped he would turn it around, but there aren’t any Buffs supporters looking for another Salter start. It adds to the season’s disappointment, basically waving the white flag in the final game. Even if it is the right move in the long run, it hurts in the short term to miss out on another week of Lewis hype.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football: Pros, cons of redshirting QB Julian Lewis