BOULDER — Pat Shumur has told every NFL team the same thing.

“If you need a quarterback, draft Shedeur (Sanders),” he said. “If you don’t need a quarterback, take Travis (Hunter). It’s not that deep.

“Some of the teams oughta get an AirBnb out here. They’ve been out here a bunch of times doing the research on Shedeur for the right reasons.”

As the Colorado offensive coordinator has pitched his future first round NFL draft pick, he’s created quite the reputation to live up to for whomever the next Buffaloes starting quarterback is.

Because for the first time since Sanders arrived on campus with his dad, coach Deion Sanders, CU began spring practices on Tuesday without an answer as to who its starting quarterback is going to be when the season begins against Georgia Tech on Aug. 29.

“That’s gonna be an obvious observation throughout the season, losing somebody like Shedeur is — we gotta replace him,” Shurmur said. “The important thing for all teams is you sorta rebuild the roster and you have to start over.

“We took with us into the offseason a winning season and we wanna build on that with the players that are here. We went out and got two players that we feel like have a bright future.”

No one is going to ask for the same production that Sanders had last season — more than 4,100 passing yards while completing 74 percent of his passes with 27 touchdowns to just three interceptions — but the Buffs are happy with their trio of scholarship players tasked with trying to replace him.

There’s the returning presence in redshirt sophomore Ryan Staub, who started the 2023 season finale and acquitted himself well at Utah. There’s the veteran presence in Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, who won 26 during his time with the Flames and brings a dual-threat presence that the other quarterbacks really don’t have.

Then there’s Julian “JuJu” Lewis, the five-star 17-year-old from Georgia who graduated high school a year and a half ahead of schedule and speaks like someone who is at least mentally well-equipped to replace someone like Sanders.

“I feel like high school football probably didn’t have much more for me, even if it meant coming in here and competing for a job young,” Lewis said after his practice at CU, mentioning he had always planned on reclassifying to be a part of the 2025 recruiting class. “I just felt like it would be best for me to get in here as early as possible.”

Lewis threw for more than 11,000 yards in just three seasons of varsity football in the highest classification in Georgia. He still remembers playing against current Ohio State All-American safety Caleb Downs as a 14-year-old freshman in his first state championship game.

“I got killed, but stuff like that just helped me grow up and get here,” Lewis said. “I feel like Georgia football is one of the higher ranks of high school football in the country, and I feel like (playing) in that competition at such a young age just helped me develop. Having to lead coming in as a freshman just got me used to what I’m trying to do right now.”

After previously being committed to USC for more than a year, Lewis flipped his commitment to the Buffs live on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” in November. Since then, he’s just been itching to get on the field with that gold helmet on.

“Finally, the time came,” Lewis said Tuesday. “I’m bored waiting, trying to get installs in and stuff like that, but it was definitely the best part of today getting to actually play football.”

Some players like Lewis, who became one of the most heralded and well-known high school players in the country over the past two years, would feel like they have something to prove from the minute they show up on a college campus. Not Lewis.

“I guess I’ve got more to prove to myself than anyone else,” Lewis said. “I’ve been getting called overrated since I was 7. It kinda is what it is on that part of football. I just wanna go in and ball out. I think that’s everybody’s goal is to come and win.”

That sure sounds a lot like the guy who was slinging touchdown passes up and down Folsom Field the last two falls — and Lewis wouldn’t have anyone else to lean on as a resource as his college career begins and Sanders’ ends.

“It’s definitely a blessing to have a guy like him that just came over top of me,” Lewis said. “We kinda came (from) different paths, but just looking at it from another Black quarterback is always good to hear from, even the older guys that have retired and stuff like that. Understanding their path is humbling.”

“Humbling” is how Lewis came across after his first practice as a Buff. He knows he’s got a little less than six months to prove he’s the guy.

“Just to grow and get stronger and learn the offense,” Lewis said his goals for the spring are. “Of course, everybody thinks it’s a quarterback and stuff like that, but we’ve got such great quarterbacks in the room and great personalities. I just love being around the guys every day and I’m just happy to be here.”