Colorado true freshman quarterback Julian Lewis will not play in the Buffaloes' season finale Saturday against Kansas State to preserve his redshirt, coach Deion Sanders said Tuesday.
"I've made a decision that JuJu is gonna redshirt," Sanders said. "That's my decision. I want what's best for the kid, what's best for his family, what's best for this wonderful university."
Given Colorado (3-8, 1-7 Big 12) cannot qualify for a bowl game, the trip to Manhattan, Kansas, will be relatively low stakes for the program, and the decision will leave Lewis with four years of eligibility remaining. The former five-star recruit has appeared in four games this year, including starts in the past two: losses to West Virginia and Arizona State.
"I'm not going to say [Lewis] was happy, because he's a competitor," Sanders said. "He wants to compete; he wants to play."
Lewis took the starting job from Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter earlier this month after performing well off the bench in a loss to Arizona. Salter will start against the Wildcats, Sanders said. Ryan Staub, who started one game this season, will serve as Salter's backup, Sanders said.
Salter arrived in Boulder with high expectations after a standout career at Liberty, where he thew for 56 touchdowns over parts of four seasons, but never got things on track for the Buffaloes. He has thrown for 1,242 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Lewis will finish the year with 589 yards passing with four touchdowns and no interceptions.