Standout high school quarterback Julian "Ju Ju" Lewis has become one of the most buzzed about young players in football. Lewis recently sat down with Sports Illustrated along with his father T.C. and his head coach Joey King. They discussed Lewis' promising future and how the talented sophomore is staying grounded amidst the growing hype.
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00:00 the same as most other kids, I just throw football a little bit further and harder.
00:07 The first time you see him throw a ball, you know he's special.
00:17 A 14-year-old phenom named Julian Lewis, who has already turned the heads of some of his
00:22 peers and he looks to be the next big thing.
00:24 Shoot, I mean, I've been playing since I was five.
00:27 I mean, I was out there every day, trained every day since I was five, so that's kind
00:30 of been my thing.
00:31 Scouts say he's advanced beyond his years, smooth mechanics, makes big throws look easy,
00:36 keeps his head up when under pressure.
00:37 I've got great arm talent, and then the more you watch him, the more impressed you become.
00:44 The only thing I'm thinking about is winning.
00:48 That's all.
00:49 I mean, I don't really care what else has to, however I gotta do it is how I do it.
00:53 I just want to win.
00:54 Many see Lewis as a top national prospect in his class and a great fit for a fast-paced,
01:00 spread offense where he can show off his passing chops.
01:03 He could be a stud quarterback at the next level if he reaches his full potential.
01:07 With the attention comes expectation, and with the success on the field comes more responsibility.
01:13 We put a lot on him.
01:14 He understands it well.
01:15 One of our goals going into this season was to even be a champion in the details, even
01:22 when you're bored with them.
01:23 Right?
01:24 So as a freshman, once you go through installs, some of those meetings kind of get a little
01:27 redundant.
01:28 But this year, he's embracing every little detail and taking notes in the meeting room
01:32 to make sure that he's 100% dialed in.
01:34 So it's been fun to see him grow in that capacity, but he's got an extremely high ceiling when
01:40 it comes to processing the game of football as well.
01:43 I think it's really, for us, been juggling the balance of the attention, juggling the
01:47 balance of everything that comes with it.
01:49 His life, you know, right now is very uncommon.
01:52 So it's trying to be who you are right now and not try and grow up too fast.
01:59 You know, I think that's really what I've been trying to emphasize the most is enjoy
02:02 being 15.
02:03 I hang out with my guys and play video games like other kids.
02:07 But I mean, I'm the same as most other kids.
02:10 I just throw football a little bit further and harder.
02:12 It's no different.
02:14 I definitely wouldn't have been able to handle it as a 15-year-old kid.
02:18 But we treat him like a 15-year-old kid.
02:20 You know, he's just one of the boys.
02:22 You know, there's a lot of hype and attention on him.
02:24 He's just one of the guys.
02:25 You know, so we're going to hold him to the same standards and treat him just the same
02:29 and love him just the same regardless.
02:30 You know, a lot of times when he's in here, we'll have life talks.
02:33 We don't just talk about ball all the time.
02:35 You know, I want him to understand that that's not who he is and what he's defined by.
02:39 Even though it's what he does, there's a lot more depth to him than just football.
02:44 One of the reasons why we chose Carrollton was Coach Joey King and his experience with
02:47 Trevor Lawrence and, you know, what he had kind of gone through.
02:50 You know, he understood what I foresaw the path of, you know, Julian to be in.
02:55 So we've had some really good players and then great assistant coaches.
02:58 I tell somebody every day my job just to, when I wake up, my job is to not mess it up.
03:02 You know, so we just try to keep pushing it in the right direction.
03:04 And any success, credit goes to assistant coaches, the administration, the community,
03:11 the players.
03:12 You know, I just try to facilitate that growth every day.
03:13 Like, he's taught me so much about defense that it's like, that's why people say the
03:17 game moves slow.
03:18 I mean, you kind of know what's going on before it happens.
03:22 So that's probably, I got all that from him.
03:24 I mean, before that I was just going, I mean, I was just throwing the ball wherever.
03:27 Pre-snap stuff.
03:28 Our number one core value as a team is gratitude.
03:30 You know, he's very grateful for all that his dad has done and, you know, that family's
03:34 made a lot of sacrifice for him to be in the position that he's in.
03:38 But I do think TC has done a tremendous job of being very strategic in every move and
03:43 every relationship that has kind of entered his life.
03:46 And it's kind of been a neat, I guess, process to see how everything has come together.
03:52 You know, and he'll continue to encourage him through it.
03:55 And I know Julian is very grateful.
03:56 You know, I wouldn't be here without him.
03:58 I mean, overall, he's my first quarterback trainer.
04:01 I mean, that person I need and I can definitely lean on him when I, when stuff goes wrong
04:05 and when stuff goes right, he's there to kind of calm me down.
04:08 And it's on to the next type of thing.
04:10 He's never been one of those people to like, kind of praise me type of thing.
04:14 He's more of a tell me what I do wrong, but he'll tell me he loves me after.
04:17 But I mean, it's, but it's bigger than football and you can tell it's deeper than football.
04:21 It's a blessing, you know, it's like, I think God gives you a vision.
04:25 You know, he lets you see the gifts and talents in your kids.
04:28 It's a lot of work, you know, to cultivate those gifts, but it's also, you know, my responsibility
04:33 as dad to do so.
04:35 Although he's just 15, the Nation's Top Football Programs have been chomping up a bit to secure
04:39 Juju's college commitment.
04:41 He announced exclusively with SI that he'll be taking his talents to LA to play for USC
04:46 and Lincoln Riley.
04:47 I'm excited for Coach Riley.
04:49 I mean, the opportunity that he's given me to come play under him and I just know it's
04:53 going to turn me into.
04:54 I think he can be as good as he wants to be just from the natural ability that he has.
05:00 As long as he works hard and facilitates that growth, there's definitely a, you know, a
05:04 skill set that's unique.
05:07 And as long as he continues to work, you know, I do believe the sky's the limit.
05:11 [Music]