“I Don’t Control None of My Money”: Shedeur Sanders’ Replacement at CU Julian Lewis Speaks Up About NIL Money and Avoiding Distractions

Five-star QB Julian Lewis out of Carrollton is set to soak up all the spotlight he’s been chasing this college football season. He flipped his commitment to Colorado last November (from USC), and by mid-March, the Buffaloes officially welcomed him to the team. With Shedeur Sanders off to the NFL, Lewis now finds himself in the mix to take over under center in Boulder.

And while that role comes with pressure, it also brings plenty of perks for Lewis—not just the spotlight, but everything that comes with being the face of a program. After Deion Sanders and his QB son Shedeur brought the CU program back to relevancy, the quarterback position became quite lucrative there. Before declaring for the NFL, Shedeur actually led the country with an NIL valuation of $6.5 million.

That likely won’t change for Lewis either. All the freshman needs to do is keep the winning momentum going. He has the perfect coaching roster to help with that, as Deion brought in a few gold jackets to lead the team. Last year, it was the Alamo Bowl, but this year, it should be the playoffs for the Buffs. And with that, Lewis is sure to climb to the top of the NIL-earning list. But is that something he’s interested in? Lewis says no.

During his appearance on The Pivot podcast, the star QB was asked by co-host Channing Crowder what it was like to “negotiate contracts in high school.” And that too at just 17 years of age, with a seven-figure amount in the mix. Lewis kept it simple, but made his stance clear.

“Yeah, no, I don’t control none of my money. I don’t touch it. I don’t talk about it. My dad, David, Athlete First (Los Angeles based sports agency), they kinda control all my financial stuff,” said the star QB.

“That’s the better way,” Ryan Clark chimed in to the statement. Crowder then pressed the QB and asked if it felt weird when grown adults in the room were valuing his ability during negotiations. Lewis didn’t disagree. However, he also added that while he felt blessed to be part of the NIL era, it wasn’t something he placed much importance on.

Lewis knows full well that college isn’t the end goal—it’s the NFL he’s targeting. He also understands there’s a big difference between NIL money and NFL money to make himself content with what he’s being paid now.

“Just thinking of college of not being the end goal. I mean, all of us want to make it to the league. There’s no reason to kind of set ourselves to the (NIL) standard. The league is the goal. NIL money isn’t NFL money. That’s how I kinda put it in my mind,” he said earlier in the interview.

The 17-year-old will spend the next four years in the CFB landscape before finally getting a taste of NFL money. But he’s already accumulated an NIL valuation of $1.1 million. He reportedly signed a six-figure deal with Leaf Trading Cards and has partnerships with men’s jewelry brand Jaxxon, fitness and lifestyle brand Alo Yoga, and Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack.