It should come as no surprise that freshman quarterback Brendon Lewis has received much attention as Colorado has gotten its spring practices underway.

Wednesday evening will mark the fifth (out of 15) completed practices so far and Friday, the Buffs will conduct their first of four "spring showcase" scrimmages.

Lewis simply made too much of a splash during the Valero Alamo Bowl not to be a major storyline this offseason and now into spring.

After senior Sam Noyer threw two quick interceptions in the first quarter alone, Karl Dorrell decided that the long wait to see CU's highly touted freshman quarterback was over and inserted Lewis into the game for the Buffs' first offensive possession of the second quarter.

Ten plays later, on a drive that included Lewis connecting with sophomore wideout Dimitri Stanley for a 26-yard gain, the Buffaloes went for it on 4th and Goal and converted, finding the endzone for the first time in the game.

Late in the third quarter, Lewis orchestrated another touchdown drive, hitting Stanley again, this time for 25 yards and moving the ball upfield himself for a 44-yard rush, setting up sophomore tailback Jarek Broussard's second score of the night.

And finally, as the fourth quarter began, Lewis led Colorado to another seven points, scoring on a two-yard rush.Colorado was blown out of the water by Texas, losing 55-23 when all was said and done.

Dorrell mentioned after the game how much ground the Buffs have to cover to be in a position as a program to compete with big dogs like the Longhorns.

However, anyone who watched that game should have realized in the moment that Lewis, in his first collegiate action, lived up to the hype.

Despite the lopsided loss, he was behind center for the Buffs on all three of their touchdown drives.

Per Dorrell, Lewis has used his Alamo Bowl experience as a foundation upon which he has built significantly since then.

“He’s graduated from that developmental stage," Dorrell said. "You’ll remember seeing him in the (Alamo Bowl) and how well he played there, which I think we all were excited about the type of production he was able to do. Just imagine that but he’s doing better than that."

With Noyer out until the summer following offseason shoulder surgery, Lewis has been competing with fellow freshman Drew Carter as well as Tennessee transfer JT Shrout.

All three players have been splitting first team reps, with Dorrell offering praise on all of them for their performances thus far into spring, but already coaches are describing Lewis in terms that suggest he's going to be in the thick of the battle to earn the starter's gig come fall.

"I think he has a better understanding of the concepts of the offense," Dorrell said. "There’s no panic in his game anymore about being shortchanged with the movements and the things that we’ve asked him to do."

Much remains to be seen with respect to the impending position battle at quarterback. Whatever depth charts are released following the spring period ultimately won't mean all that much.

But as the summer continues to approach, Lewis is undoubtedly showing that he's taking all the necessary steps in enhancing his game to the standards of a prospective starting quarterback.

"He just feels a lot more comfortable with our system, the familiarities (and) it’s helpful that he’s doing stuff that he was building on doing from the fall," Dorrell said. "I’ve been very pleased with what Brendon has done. He looks night and day from the player he was in 2020.”