Colorado QB depth chart: Can Julian Lewis, Zach Wilson's brother end post-Shedeur struggles?

When Colorado won nine games in 2024, its most in a season since 2016 and its first bowl-game appearance since 2020, it wasn't just because of two-way star Travis Hunter. Elite quarterback play guided the Buffaloes' offense.

While Shedeur Sanders' NFL career has been rocky thus far, he was undoubtedly one of the best passers in the country throughout his final season in Boulder, completing 74% of his passes for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. Since then, however, Deion Sanders hasn't found stability at the quarterback position.

Colorado won just four games in 2025 as starting quarterback Kaidon Salter threw seven interceptions. With Salter now gone, however, Sanders has some intriguing passers around for 2026, led by a former top recruit.

Here's a look at Colorado's new quarterback room entering the 2026 season.

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Colorado QB depth chart

Colorado offensive coordinator Brennan Marion made official last week what was the expected decision: Julian Lewis, a redshirt freshman passer who was a five-star recruit in 2025 by multiple outlets, will be the Buffaloes' Week 1 starter against Georgia Tech.

Lewis, who reclassified from the 2024 recruiting class, originally committed to USC before flipping to Colorado in November 2024, set up to be the successor to Shedeur Sanders. While he did see the field as a true freshman in 2025, it did not turn out to be Lewis' official debut as the starter.  

He appeared in just four games after Salter was named QB1, starting in two of them for the Buffaloes down the stretch. Lewis became the ninth true freshman to start a game at quarterback in Colorado history.

After Lewis performed well in his limited time in 2025, however, he's been expected to take the full reigns of the Buffaloes' offense in 2026. As a redshirt freshman, he was named to the Shawn Alexander Award Watch List ahead of the 2026 season.

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Julian Lewis stats

Lewis, the No. 50 consensus recruit in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247Sports, flashed his high-end talent over four appearances last season. Two of his games were starts, including 299 passing yards and two touchdowns against West Virginia last November.

Here's a look at Lewis' numbers as a true freshman:

Who is Zach Wilson's brother?

The brother of a former star quarterback and NFL first-round pick will also be found in Colorado's quarterback room this season. Isaac Wilson, the brother of Zach Wilson, is the Buffaloes' QB2. Zach Wilson is now his sixth NFL season, the former No. 2 overall pick to the Jets in 2021.

The younger Wilson, meanwhile, is entering his third year of college after spending two seasons at Utah, where he made seven starts as a true freshman but served as a backup throughout 2025. Wilson did flash some talent, however, as he became the first Utes true freshman quarterback to beat an AP ranked team when Utah took down Oklahoma State in 2024.

A former consensus four-star recruit, Isaac Wilson won't have any immediate starting opportunities in 2026, but he is a bigger-name backup to Lewis this season. 

Isaac Wilson stats

Here's a look at Wilson's numbers over two years at Utah.