Top QB prospect, Trey Lance, to get a one-night-only showcase Oct. 3
FARGO, N.D. (BVM) — Although the Missouri Valley Conference announced in early August that it would postpone fall football until spring, Bison football fans will not have to forfeit watching star quarterback Trey Lance just yet.
North Dakota State University (NDSU) announced that it has signed a contract to play one fall game against Central Arkansas on Oct. 3. It’s speculated that the Bison hope that this game will solidify Lance’s spot in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Lance, a redshirt sophomore out of Marshall, Minn., did not disappoint NDSU last season. The 6-foot-4 QB threw for 2,786 yards, 28 touchdowns with a 66.9% completion rate. As well as running for another 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns as the Bison had a perfect 16-0 season in Lance’s first year as a starter.
Sources from around the NFL have already predicted him to be a first round draft pick.
“I think he’s a really good prospect, just watching his throwing motion, his accuracy and arm strength,” Illinois State coach Brock Spack told Yahoo Sports. “It’s rare to see a prospect like that from the FCS. Most of them are second-day guys that kind of blow up their senior year. This kid has been good right from the start.”
Although Lance has not publicly commented on a final decision to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft, it is widely speculated that the showcase game in October will be his last game as a Bison and he will opt out of the expected spring restart.
NDSU’s lone fall football game will give scouts one more opportunity to watch Lance and other Bison NFL hopefuls play. With many college teams canceling their fall seasons due to COVID-19, this gives Lance an advantage to get looks this year while other schools’ players may not.
Since NDSU is alone in their single-game format, many first-round prospects are expected to forego a delayed season entirely and begin preparations for the draft as long as that timeline remains the same.
An agent told ESPN’s Alex Scarborough: “If you’re a bona fide first-round pick and you’re that close to the finish line, are you really putting yourself in harm’s way?” and added that top rated prospects have “nothing to gain” from playing in a delayed season.
Ryan Clark remarked on ESPN’s “Get Up” that Lance playing in one game this season could have unintended negative consequences. Clark said that NDSU runs the risk of Lance not having a great game and not having the next week to make up for that.
What most people can agree on is that Lance made waves in the FCS during the 2019 season. Becoming the first player to win both the 2019 Walter Payton Award, and Jerry Rice Award in the same year, while also leading the Bison to their eighth national championship in nine years.
NDSU’s football program is not stranger to quarterback talent. Lance will be the third quarterback in six years to be drafted. Carson Wentz was selected No. 2 overall in 2016 by the Philadelphia Eagles after going through the program. The all-time winningest QB in FCS history, Easton Stick, was taken in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019.
