If you’re not familiar with Trey Lance, well, it’s about time you introduce yourself. The North Dakota State quarterback guided the Bison to a perfect 16-0 record in 2019, as well as the program’s eighth national title in nine seasons.
Not only that, but the redshirt sophomore is the 15th-best prospect of the 2021 NFL Draft class, according to Mel Kiper Jr.
Lance, however, is keeping that lofty ranking in perspective.
“Honestly, it’s all hypothetical at this point,” Lance said on The Zach Gelb Show. “I got to go out, and I got to play well this year or obviously none of it matters. Every guy on that board has a dream of playing in the NFL, and I think most guys at most programs playing college football have the dream of playing in the NFL and have since they were little, just like me. So obviously that’s a huge dream of mine, a huge goal, but at the same time, it’s all hypothetical at this point. I’ve just got to be 100 percent focused on winning another national championship at North Dakota State.”
Lance completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,786 yards, 28 touchdowns and zero interceptions as a redshirt freshman. He also ran for 1,100 yards and 14 scores.
Not bad for a guy who was lightly recruited out of high school in Minnesota.
“Easton Stick was a huge reason why I’m at North Dakota State,” Lance said. “Obviously Carson [Wentz’s] name holds a lot of weight, as it should. That’s obviously well-earned. He’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest, to come out of NDSU. But Easton, just being able to meet him and sit down with him, the type of person that he was, and obviously my parents being able to meet his parents were a huge part of my recruiting process as well.”
Lance won the 2019 FCS Walter Payton Award, which is given annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS. He was the first freshman to win the award in its 33-year history.
“The individual awards and stuff definitely wasn’t even in my thinking process,” said Lance, who also took home the Jerry Rice Award as the nation’s best freshman. “I was very confident going into each and every game. Honestly, I learned a lot throughout the 16 games, but I was just as confident in myself going into Week 1 as I was going into Week 16. I think that’s what my coaches did to me, how Easton helped me, and Carson and Brock [Jensen] and the guys before me have helped me just realize I’ve got great players around me, and I got coaches that are really going to put me in position to be successful. I think those are the two biggest things to help me with my confidence going into the year.”