Former Syracuse quarterback Justin Lamson makes his return to the Dome this Friday as a backup for Stanford. He transferred from the Orange to the Cardinal ahead of last season.
The transfer surprised many Syracuse fans, especially considering Lamson’s excellent performance in last year’s spring game, where he recorded over 180 passing yards and one touchdown when Carlos Del-Rio Wilson was injured. Lamson was also in line to be the backup QB for Garrett Shrader and many Syracuse fans thought he could end up as SU’s starting quarterback after Shrader’s senior year.
All of that was put to rest when Lamson saw an opportunity to return home to Northern California.
“There was nothing wrong or bad with Syracuse at all,” said Eric Cavaliere, Lamson’s former head coach at Oak Ridge High School, whom Lamson still keeps in touch with. “However, there was an opportunity that he felt he could have to get back on the west coast. The school that Justin wanted to be at out of high school was Stanford…and to be able to play for Coach Taylor were all things that played into his decision.”
Stanford head coach Troy Taylor heavily recruited Lamson while he was in charge of Sacramento State’s football program. Lamson ultimately chose to go to the ACC and Syracuse. However, when Taylor ended up at Stanford, both sides saw the chance to work together.
“I knew Justin very well as a player and had met him when we recruited him at Sacramento State,” said Taylor. “For us, we already knew what he brought. I had seen him play so much. I always admired his toughness, competitiveness, and the fact that he’s a dual-threat quarterback.
It was a classic California In-N-Out double-double for Lamson: he gets to play under Coach Taylor and wear the uniform for his dream college team.
“Obviously, I’m super excited to go back to the Dome. It’s an electric atmosphere so I’m excited to go back there. When I signed with Stanford, I never thought we’d be playing Syracuse [in] week three [of] my second year here.”
