Former Don Bosco football star transfers to Colorado to play for Deion Sanders

Lamont Lester is ready for Prime Time.

The former standout Don Bosco defensive lineman confirmed to NorthJersey.com that he transferred to the University of Colorado after two seasons at Monmouth.

“It’s always scary going into the unknown, but sometimes you just have to shoot your shot,” Lester said. “My team and I were confident about what we were doing.”

Lester, at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, was a redshirt freshman for the Hawks in 2025. He led the defense with 11.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. Monmouth finished 9-3, narrowly missing out on an FCS playoff berth.

“Monmouth was my first home in college football and it was hard to say bye to the guys I walked in with,” Lester said. “I got to learn a lot my true freshman year and in my redshirt year. Coach [Cody] Cole came in and I got to learn a lot from him not only on the field, but off the field as well.”

Lester put his name into the transfer portal in November and announced his intentions to head to Colorado in early January.

There was interest from Wake Forest, Wisconsin and Rutgers, but Lester had his eyes on Colorado. His first trip was to Boulder, where he met the coaching staff and talked over defensive strategy.

Then he met Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders.

“I started to know about him when I was in high school,” Lester said. “He was someone I always looked up to in the football world.”

The chance to play for Sanders was too good an opportunity to pass up.

“Playing for him was a draw for me,” Lester said. “I saw it as a chance to be led by a great leader. We talked a lot about how I can be used in different ways in stopping the run and rushing the passer.”

The college football world works this way now. Players like Lester shine at a lower level, then get the opportunity to advance their careers to a bigger stage and earn money.

It’s not a system that everyone likes, but for Lester, it’s reality. He also knows if he doesn’t make it at Colorado, he will have to find a different opportunity elsewhere.

Lester is already in Boulder, learning the team’s defense and refining his techniques on stopping the run and picking up some pointers on rushing the passer.

“For me, the ultimate goal is to make it to the NFL, and Colorado has the right coaches that can help me elevate and better my chances at making it,” Lester said.

Lester started his high school career playing for Waldwick/Midland Park before transferring to Don Bosco. As a senior, he was named first-team All-New Jersey by the USA TODAY NETWORK after recording nine sacks and 62 tackles.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Lamont Lester, former Don Bosco NJ football player signs with Colorado