Following the Buffs' first spring practice Wednesday in Boulder, Karl Dorrell did not hold back in relaying what he saw from sophomore quarterback Brendon Lewis.
“From what it looked like (Wednesday), he’s not anything like what you saw in 2021," Dorrell said. "I saw a completely different player. Obviously, his management skills (and) all that experience that he gained over the course of the season last year has really paid off for his composure, his confidence and his mannerisms, how he exudes himself in the huddle, how he breaks the huddle and how he’s commanding everything in terms of the information he’s giving out.
"He’s definitely a much different player, so I’m very, very pleased by that.”
Back in February, when he was introduced formally as CU's new offensive coordinator, Mike Sanford indicated that the quarterback position was open for competition starting this spring.
Lewis and fellow sophomore J.T. Shrout, who is limited this spring and not cleared for full contact as he continues to recover from a knee injury suffered last August, lead that position battle.
In his first year as a starting quarterback last season, Lewis experienced ups and downs.
While he was not aided by a shaky offensive line and some suspect playcalling, ultimately, Lewis was under center for one of the worst offensive seasons by a Colorado team in living memory.
The Buffs ranked in the cellar of the FBS in numerous statistical categories, including total offense and passing offense.
By year's end, Lewis had thrown for 1,540 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions, to go along with a 58% (149-of-257) completion rate.
For as worthy as Lewis was of criticism last year, and keeping in mind the other aforementioned factors that plagued CU's offense in 2021, this spring represents a fresh opportunity for the third-year sophomore.
With a year of starting experience under his belt, and now in Sanford's system, Lewis concurred with what his head coach had to say about him.
“I totally feel like a different quarterback," Lewis said. "The way coach Sanford and the whole staff implemented the offense before spring ball, I feel like we all went out there and knew what to do. It wasn’t perfect, but we did the things that we were supposed to do. I knew where to go with the ball and with certain coverages — I definitely felt like a way different player than last year after the first spring practice.”
Lewis' debut season with the Buffs certainly contained highlights in addition to lowlights.
Despite 2021 being something of a mixed bag as far as his individual performance was concerned, Lewis still draws from it with the intention of bettering himself.
“As I reviewed the (2021) season, I took everything I learned and tried to work on it on my own so I could improve for spring ball and then fall camp," he said. "I still watch those games to this day, just to look at what I did wrong, what I can do better and implement it back on the field the way coach Sanford wants.”
With sophomore Drew Carter now in his second year with the Buffs and freshman Maddox Kopp, a transfer from Houston, also in the mix, Colorado will have arguably its healthiest quarterback battle this spring and summer since Dorrell took over in Boulder.
While that competition may not be formally resolved until later in the summer or potentially even until early, September, Dorrell has been pleased with the play of his quarterbacks early into spring ball.
“B-Lew looks like a different player right now," Dorrell said. "I love everything that he’s showing right now in terms of his leadership, presence and I think there’s a lot more comfort in both of these guys.
"They’re managing our system and they understand it very well. In a lot of ways, the light bulb has come on for these guys and a lot of the guys on the team.”
