Buffs starting quarterback Brendon Lewis enters transfer portal

BOULDER–Colorado quarterback Brendon Lewis announced that he is entering the transfer portal Tuesday morning.

The decision came following the Buffs’ 20-13 overtime win over Cal where they replaced freshman Owen McCown with Tennessee transfer JT Shrout, cementing Lewis as the Buffs’ number three quarterback.

Lewis started all 12 games at quarterback for CU last season, becoming just the second freshman to start a season opener behind center for the Buffs. The Texas native won the starting job this year in camp, but was only able to keep the job for one game, a 38-13 loss against TCU. Shrout started the next week against Air Force, and McCown took over before the Buffs’ tilt with UCLA on Sept. 24.

During his time at CU,  the former four-star recruit tallied 1727 passing yards with ten touchdowns and three interceptions, adding three more scores on the ground. 

“I’m grateful to the University of Colorado, my teammates, coaches, and Buff Nation for all my support over the past years,” Lewis said in a statement via social media Tuesday morning. “Over the various changes I’ve encountered throughout my three years at CU, I’ve decided I need to explore my other options and see who can best prepare me for my future. In order to do so, I have decided to enter the transfer portal.”

Under the new NCAA transfer rules, when a head coach is fired during the season, all players on the roster have a 30-day period to enter the transfer portal immediately after the change. Colorado fired head coach Karl Dorrell on Oct. 2. 

The Buffs will move forward with McCown and Shrout running the offense as they head to Corvallis for a date with Oregon State. Kickoff will be Oct. 22 at 6 p.m.