{
  "id": 10125684,
  "title": "Deion Sanders Gets Brutally Honest About Benching Former 5-Star QB vs Baylor",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/deion-sanders-gets-brutally-honest-about-benching-former-5-star-qb-vs",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-27T03:10:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/sports/ncaa/deion-sanders-gets-brutally-honest-about-benching-former-5-star-qb-vs-baylor-12493690"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis faced immense pressure coming to Boulder to replace Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Shedeur Sanders. Despite Sanders' impressive stats in his two seasons with the Buffaloes, his departure to the NFL left Lewis struggling to live up to expectations. This pressure culminated in Lewis being benched during Saturday's 23-13 loss to Baylor. Coach Deion Sanders revealed the reasoning behind the benching, stating, \"We ran the ball well in the first half, early on — that's about it.\" He emphasized that the decision was made to propel the team forward and score points, not to judge Lewis' abilities. Sanders didn't view the benching as a verdict on Lewis' future as the starting QB. Instead, he expressed his desire for Wilson to remain calm, distribute the ball effectively, and let the rest of the team shine. Sanders hinted that Lewis might be on a short leash if he starts against No. 11 Texas Tech next week, given the recent loss.",
  "summary": "5-star QB Julian Lewis was benched against Baylor, and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders didn't hold back when explaining why.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}