The word “brotherhood” gets thrown around the sport of college football often, along with so many other cliches, but in some rare instances, the cliche is a reality and not just a work thrown around to indicate the bonds within teams.
While in some instances, brothers will pave their own path at different schools, there are cases where one brother will follow in the footsteps of another and join the same program.
While not in school together, such is the case with Trey and Bryce Lance.
Is Bryce Lance the Brother of Former North Dakota State Star Trey Lance?
Bryce Lance is the younger brother of former North Dakota State star quarterback Trey Lance, and while the two both attended the same school, there are differences between the brothers that make each stand out.
Bryce Lance is a wide receiver at North Dakota State, where he will be entering his junior season for the Bison. The younger Lance is similar in size to his older brother Trey at 6’3″ and 204 pounds. The elder Lance, who currently plays quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, is a shade taller, at 6’4″ and heavier as well at 226 pounds.
Though the brothers share multiple traits in addition to attending the same school for their college football careers, the journeys to get there were quite different from each other.
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Bryce was a two-way star at Marshall High School in Minnesota, where he set multiple school records, such as receiving yards in a game (199), season (873), and career (1,766). He also set career records for receptions with 68 and had 12 interceptions.
The younger Lance was named District Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 and Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, sharing the award with teammate and current NDSU lineman Trey Steinbach. Bryce was also an all-conference basketball player.
Trey grew up playing running back and didn’t move to the quarterback position until middle school.
In high school at Marshall, Trey was a three-year starter who played quarterback and strong safety. He was a three-time all-district performer and threw for 1,386 yards and 14 touchdowns his senior year while rushing for 641 yards and 10 scores. He was a team captain in both football and basketball, making the all-conference team in hoops, as well.
Since arriving at North Dakota State, younger brother Bryce has posted just one catch for 7 yards, but he is expected to be a big contributor in the 2024 season as he has finally filled out his frame, going from 180 pounds at arrival to 204 entering the 2024 season. Bryce arrived on campus in the fall of 2021 after his brother had already left for the NFL.
Trey also spent some time developing at NDSU before leaping onto the scene with an incredible year in 2019, leading the Bison to an undefeated season at the FCS level and an eventual national championship.
Not only was the older Lance’s Bison squad the first to run the table since 1894, but he was the first freshman to win the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the FCS. He set multiple records during the year, including the NCAA all-divisions record for most passing attempts in a complete season without an interception (287).
Lance led the FCS with a 180.6 pass efficiency rating, ranked second in yards per pass attempt, fifth in completion percentage, and 10th in rushing yards per carry with 6.51. He set single-season records for passing efficiency (180.6) and total offense yards (3,886), set an NDSU freshman record with 1,100 rushing yards, and had a team-high 14 rushing touchdowns.
His 2,786 passing yards were the most by a freshman in NDSU and MVFC single-season history. Trey Lance threw for 28 touchdowns, the most by an NDSU freshman and tied for second overall in Bison history. He was the first freshman to start a season opener at quarterback for the Bison.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Lance played in one more game before declaring for the NFL, where he was drafted third overall by the San Francisco 49ers.
Injuries and depth chart situations plagued the older Lance while he was in San Francisco. The team constantly had a bevy of quarterbacks in the way of his development, including eventual starter Brock Purdy, who won the position after Lance sat out the 2022 season due to an ankle injury that required surgery.
Trey was traded in 2023 to the Dallas Cowboys, where he has been Dak Prescott’s understudy. He will be a free agent following the 2024 season, which will be his fifth in the NFL.
The brothers both grew up playing football, notably being coached by their father Carlton Lance. Carlton was an accomplished player with Southwest Minnesota State University, where he was a two-sport standout in track and football.
Carlton eventually played two years of professional football, one with the Saskatchewan Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League, where he was named to the CFL All-Rookie defensive team as a cornerback. He also played for one season in the World League with the London Monarchs.
With 2024 being a pivotal year for both of the Lance brothers, the family business of football will have plenty of twists and turns and opportunities to shine. And if history is any indication, both should find a way to do so in their own unique ways, just like their father.
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