Justin Lamson finds a home at FCS champion Montana State after making stops at Syracuse and Stanford

Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia are prime examples of players from smaller programs starring after taking a step up in competition.

Montana State’s Justin Lamson shows how a move in the other direction also can pay off.

Lamson, a former reserve quarterback at Syracuse and Stanford, moved to the Championship Subdivision last year and found an ideal fit while leading Montana State to a national championship. Rather than going back into the transfer portal for one final chance with a Bowl Subdivision program, Lamson decided to continue playing for Bobcats coach Brent Vigen and offensive coordinator Pete Sterbick.

“Obviously there are opportunities out there, but I knew that if Coach Sterbick and Coach Vigen stayed, I probably wasn’t going to leave, just because I felt comfortable and I always really wanted someone just to trust me,” Lamson said. “That’s really what I was looking for. That’s why I came to Montana State.”

Lamson initially enrolled at Syracuse and spent two years there without ever playing a down. He spent the 2024 season at Stanford and rushed for eight touchdowns – the highest single-season total for any quarterback in program history – while playing in 12 games but only starting one.

He then decided to transfer to Bowling Green, only to change his mind after Falcons head coach Scot Loeffler left to join the Philadelphia Eagles’ staff. He landed at Montana State and reconnected with Vigen, who had tried recruiting him to Wyoming out of high school.

“I never wanted to be the guy that just transferred,” Lamson said.

Lamson said he originally just wanted to win a starting spot and didn’t have any expectations beyond that. He would end up leading Montana State to its first FCS title since 1984. Along the way, he completed 71.6% of his passes for 3,172 yards with 26 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He also rushed for 734 yards and 16 TDs. He scored twice on the ground and twice more through the air in the championship game thriller over Illinois State, 35-34.

Lamson is ready to chase another title while working toward a master’s degree in finance. He will lead a potent offense that also features running back Adam Jones and wide receiver Taco Dowler. Jones rushed for over 1,000 yards each of the last two seasons. Dowler caught 77 passes for 1,025 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025.

“I want to continue to be more of a polished quarterback,” Lamson said. “When I turn on the tape of last year, maybe to the public eye you can see some things I maybe did well. But when we really break down the tape, there’s a lot of things I can get better at.”

Here’s a look at some of the other top FCS players heading into the season:

Youngstown State QB Beau Brungard

This 6-foot, fifth-year senior is coming off a season in which he won the Walter Payton Award that goes each year to the top FCS offensive player. Brungard led all FCS players in total offense (4,702 yards) and was an Associated Press FCS All-America first-team selection. He completed 68.7% of his passes for 3,230 yards with 26 TDs and three interceptions. Brungard also rushed for 1,468 yards and 27 TDs at 6.1 yards per carry.

Rhode Island WR Marquis Buchanan

Buchanan, a fifth-year senior, caught 78 passes for an FCS-leading 1,337 yards last season. That followed a 2024 campaign in which he had 82 receptions for 1,124 yards. The 6-foot-4 wideout caught at least five passes in 13 of Rhode Island’s 14 games last season. He had five catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns in Rhode Island’s 47-26 playoff loss to UC Davis.

Montana RB Eli Gillman

This fifth-year senior has 3,677 career yards rushing and needs 394 more to become the Grizzlies’ all-time leader. He ran for 1,540 yards and 21 touchdowns last season to become Montana’s first Big Sky offensive player of the year since 2002. He rushed for 1,104 yards in 2024 and 968 in 2023, when he won the Jerry Rice Award as the FCS freshman of the year.

Illinois State LB Tye Niekamp

Niekamp has 346 tackles – 36 for loss – over the last three seasons. He compiled an FCS-leading 160 tackles last year and had 112 in 2024. He earned first-team AP FCS All-America honors and was named the Missouri Valley Conference defensive player of the year last season. He recorded 1 ½ sacks in the FCS championship game. Niekamp finished eighth in the balloting for the Buck Buchanan Award given annually to the top FCS defensive player.

Furman DE Joshua Stoneking

Stoneking finished second last year in balloting for the Buck Buchanan Award. He collected 14 ½ of his team’s 26 sacks and earned first-team Associated Press FCS All-America honors. He had the highest sack total of any FCS player. Stoneking had 79 overall tackles, including 23 for loss. He had multiple sacks in five of Furman’s 12 games.

Southern Illinois QB DJ Williams

After an injury to his throwing hand limited him to three games in 2024, Williams bounced back in a big way last season while showing his dual-threat capabilities. He completed 63% of his passes for 2,846 yards with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions while also rushing for 847 yards and 18 more scores. Williams finished eighth in the Walter Payton Award balloting.

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