Stanford has added a transfer commitment at the most important spot on the field.

Former Syracuse quarterback Justin Lamson announced his verbal commitment to the Cardinal on Saturday. Lamson spent his high school career with El Dorado Hills (Calif.) Oak Ridge before signing with the Orange. He had high school offers from Louisville, Boise State, New Mexico State, San Jose State, and Wyoming, among others.

First-year Stanford head coach Troy Taylor recruited Lamson out of the 2021 class when he was with Sacramento State, and went after the 6-foot-3 thrower again once he hit the portal on the final day of the spring window.

Lamson took a redshirt his first year at Syracuse and then missed the entire 2022 campaign after suffering an injury in spring ball. Because of that injury, he might be able to petition the NCAA for a medical waiver and get the year back. As it stands, he’ll have three seasons of eligibility for the Cardinal.

In the Syracuse spring game last month, Lamson split first-team reps in place of an injured Garrett Schrader — presumed to be the leader in the clubhouse for the QB1 job with the Orange. In the scrimmage, Lamson completed 16 of his 23 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns.

He was a 3-star quarterback coming out of high school, but brings some athleticism and intrigue to the position. Before taking over as Oak Ridge’s signal-caller, he was an all-state performer at safety. At the high school level, he displayed a capable arm and the ability to make plays happen with his legs when necessary.

As a junior for an Oak Ridge team that made it all the way to the Sac-Joaquin section championship, Lamson totaled 3,576 yards and 29 touchdowns. For his efforts, he was named the 2019 NorCal Offensive Player of the Year as well as the 2019 Sacramento Bee Player of the Year.

His skillset should fit nicely into what Taylor wants to do. And Lamson could come in right away and make an impact. Stanford needs to replace last year’s leader at the position, Tanner McKee (NFL). Lamson will compete with Ari Patu and Ashton Daniels. Myles Jackson, a 2024 quarterback who re-classified to the 2023 class, will join the battle in the fall.