Stanford's Lamson excited to return to Syracuse as opposing player

Dylan Grausz | Sep 17, 2024

Aug 30, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Justin Lamson (8) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

This week, the Stanford Cardinal will head to upstate New York where they will kick off their new era in the ACC, heading to Syracuse to face the Orange in what will be the first ever ACC game for the Cardinal. But for quarterback Justin Lamson, playing Syracuse will carry a little heavier weight.

Beginning his college career on the East Coast, playing for the Orange in 2021 and 2022 before transferring to Stanford prior to the start of last season, Lamson will return to the JMA Wireless Dome, the stadium in which Syracuse plays in, for the first time since leaving, excited for the chance to play them before he graduates.

“[I’m] super excited to go back to The Dome,” Lamson said. “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 week three my second year here. I’m excited to go there and play them.”

Growing up in California, attending Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, it made it easier to choose Stanford over the other schools that showed interest in him during his transfer process, not only being able to stay closer to home but also being able to get both a top notch education while playing for a strong football program. Getting to return to the place where his college career started, Lamson will embrace the chance to face players that he got to know well during his time in New York.

“Coming to Stanford, it was kind of an easy choice,” Lamson said. “Going through my recruitment, I had a couple other schools that I was interested in, but just being close to home and just the education that Stanford provides, it was kind of a no-brainer for me. And to be able to get coached by the coaching staff here, that was a no-brainer. And going back to The Dome, I’m super excited about it. I know seven of the 11 starters on defense so kind of being able to know who I’m going against is something that I’m super excited about and just kind of like a homecoming game for me. So I’m looking forward to it.”

Lamson’s experience of having played for Syracuse has been helpful for his Cardinal teammates who are stepping into a new environment. While they will be playing a very different Syracuse team than the ones Lamson was on, as the Orange have a new head coach in Fran Brown, Lamson’s knowledge of the environment has helped the team prepare for what is to come.

“It’s just a hostile environment,” Lamson said. “They love football in Syracuse, so I’ve relayed that to the offense to be ready for some noise, especially on third down. And I mean, I don’t think noise is something that really affects us on offense, because we’ve played in tough places, but just being very good with our communication is going to be the biggest thing and also trying to be the give as much insight as I can on the defensive players that I know, to try to give us an edge in any way possible.”

When he first committed to play at Syracuse coming out of high school, Lamson opted to move somewhere he had never lived before, which was an adjustment, but thanks to all the support that he was able to get and surround himself with while he was there, he was able to fit in seamlessly and even since leaving, still has nothing but love for the place he once called home.

“Derek McDonald, their starting SAM [linebacker], he was my roommate,” Lamson said. ‘I’m really close with him. We haven’t talked as much just because football is, we’re about to play each other, so we haven’t talked that much this offseason, but just him being around was great for me. He’s one of my best friends. And then there were a lot of alumni… there’s a lot of people that are special to me in Syracuse and I did not take that time for granted and I still call that place home in a way.”

During his time at Syracuse, Lamson saw limited action and while he may not be the main starter at Stanford, he has shown flashes of brilliance in the opportunities that he has gotten and is eager to show the Orange crowd exactly what type of player he is.

“They didn’t get to see a guy that was ready to play in a competitive way,” Lamson said. “I obviously had the injury when I thought I was gonna be ready to play and things didn’t go the way I wanted them to go. So, I’m excited to go back there and show them what I can do when I get my opportunity. And yeah, it was a great time there.”