Syracuse quarterback Justin Lamson reportedly entering transfer portal

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Syracuse backup quarterback Justin Lamson reportedly intends to enter the transfer portal, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Lamson spent spring practice battling with Carlos Del Rio-Wilson for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Garrett Shrader, who didn’t participate due to an offseason procedure on his throwing arm.

Head coach Dino Babers hasn’t publicly made a decision on who earned the second-string spot, noting after last Friday’s spring game that he thought both Lamson and Del Rio-Wilson “did a good job.” Lamson went 16-for-23 for 183 yards and a touchdown in that game, earning a majority of the first-team reps.

Over his two years at Syracuse, Lamson didn’t appear in any games, though excited fans with his play in last year’s spring game. He was expected to be Shrader’s backup last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury late in the spring. Lamson spent last season recovering, and still had a brace on his right leg throughout spring practice. Missing 2022 allowed Lamson to watch practices and games from a coach’s perspective and apply those observations to his physical abilities, Babers said earlier this spring.

“It’s Christmas. It’s the best day,” Lamson said on the first day of spring practice, March 21. “I’m just happy to be back.”

Syracuse has struggled to maintain consistency at the quarterback position over the last decade, and a preseason backup has seen meaningful snaps in every season over the last 10 years. That includes last year, when Del Rio-Wilson played six quarters in losses against Notre Dame and Pitt.

Lamson was a 3-star recruit out of Oak Ridge (California) High School, where he threw for 3,576 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior. He had offers from Louisville, Boise State and Wyoming, among others, out of high school.