Monmouth transfer DL Lamont Lester Jr. commits to Colorado
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Monmouth transfer redshirt freshman DL Lamont Lester Jr. has committed to Colorado, On3’s Pete Nakos reports. Lester Jr. was named an FCS Freshman All-American this past season.
Lester Jr. is the second defensive transfer to commit to Colorado Saturday night, joining former Charlotte DL Yamil Talib. He enjoyed a strong redshirt freshman season at Monmouth, recording 37 tackles, 11.5 TFL, 9.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Fresh off last season’s 9-4 campaign in which Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy Award and Shedeur Sanders won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Colorado struggled mightily on both sides of the ball this season. Its offensive output (328.9 YPG) ranked second to last in the Big 12, and its defense allowed 435.2 YPG (last in Big 12).
Following the program’s fifth consecutive loss to end the year, head coach Deion Sanders stated that Colorado deserves better than its 3-9 record.
“I wasn’t motivated (to get in this spot) and I’m not motivated to get out,” Sanders said postgame. “Getting out is what it’s gonna be. I don’t think it’s a motivation, it’s apart of life. This is what it’s gonna be. This fanbase, this school, and everybody deserves much better than this. They expected much better than this. I expected much better than this. We’re gonna give them much better than this, starting tomorrow.”
“Please understand, if anybody is built for adversity, I am,” Prime said on Nov. 18. “If anybody is built for change, I am. If anybody is built to overcome situations and trials and tribulations, I am. You’ve got the right man. I promise you, you do. And I’m going to prove that to you. I am. Just give me an opportunity and a little more time and I’m going to prove that to you. I will. I promise you that.”
Coach Prime will return to Colorado for fourth season
Losses piling up and less-than-stellar numbers on both offense and defense had amounted to concerns from some fans that Coach Prime could have been set to move on this offseason. That was exacerbated by the news that athletic director Rick George is stepping down into a smaller role. However, when he was recently asked about Sanders and the future, he was adamant that the football coach is still all in on the Colorado program.
“Look, Coach Prime’s committed here,” George said. “I think everybody looks for a reason that he’s gonna leave. Coach and I have a really good relationship. We talked about this Wednesday night. He kind of knew it was coming but he and I talked about it and my commitment to him was I want to help him get this thing back on track. It’s not like it’s off track, like a lot of people think.”
For now, the focus is now on re-tooling this offseason heading into an uber-important 2026 campaign for Coach Prime and the Colorado football program. Adding two strong defensive transfers to kick off this cycle is certainly a win.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.
The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
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