Colorado freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis won’t turn 18 until September and still needs to add more muscle to his frame, which currently weighs less than 200 pounds. Yet, he’s already at the center of the biggest storyline of the season for his new head coach, Deion Sanders.
A top recruit from Carrollton, Georgia, Lewis has more than just football ambitions. He has a business agent, his own branded merchandise line, and an ownership stake in a company focused on democratizing name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals for college athletes.
In many ways, Lewis embodies the new era of college sports. His father reminds him regularly that he has two roles to fulfill.
“He’s always reminding me that I have two jobs: QB and entrepreneur,” Lewis said.
In an email interview with USA TODAY Sports, Lewis discussed these dual ambitions. Both are supported by Fanstake, a company he partly owns that allows fans to financially support recruits’ NIL deals and help bring them to their favorite college teams.
By the end of June, Lewis plans to announce at least three more equity deals besides Fanstake and have four active NIL partnerships before the season begins. On the field, he aims to win the starting quarterback spot at Colorado, replacing Shedeur Sanders, and then use Fanstake to attract top recruits to Boulder.
The upcoming season will shine a spotlight on Colorado, with at least four games broadcast on ESPN or Fox in the first month. But Lewis knows there’s no guarantee he will see playing time in those games.
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