Idaho native signs with New England Patriots. He had no FBS offers in high school
Vallivue High grad Lan Larison signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent Saturday, the Boston Globe reported.
Larison was a projected late-round draft pick or undrafted free agent entering the week. While no team selected the UC Davis running back, signing as a free agent can provide players with more freedom to choose their team with an eye toward making the roster.
New England also drafted Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round. But the Globe reported Larison signed for $175,000 guaranteed, including a $25,000 signing bonus, signaling more than passing interest from the Patriots.
Larison didn’t receive any Division I offers coming out of Vallivue, picking UC Davis over offers from Idaho and The College of Idaho, the Idaho Statesman previously reported. But he quickly proved himself during five seasons with Aggies.
The 6-foot, 215-pound Idaho native earned two AP FCS All-American awards at UC Davis, and he set program records for all-purpose yards in a season (2,387) and in a career (6,504) last fall. He also led all FBS and FCS running backs with 847 receiving yards last season, proving himself as a versatile weapon and drawing comparisons to fellow Idaho native Taysom Hill.
A December ankle surgery kept him out of the senior all-star games, but he started climbing NFL draft boards after running a 4.46 40-yard dash at UC Davis’ pro day last month.
Larison graduated from Vallivue in 2020 as one of the state’s most decorated players. Idaho coaches voted the dual-threat quarterback the 4A All-Idaho Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019. He racked up a combined 6,821 total yards and 80 touchdowns in 23 games those two seasons, averaging 296.6 total yards per game.
He’s also a former state high school steer wrestling champion and saved his friend from drowning by pulling him out of the pool after he suffered a cardiac arrest.
Larison’s signing makes him the second Idaho high school graduate headed to an NFL team this week. The Bears took Gooding grad Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick Thursday.
This story was originally published April 26, 2025 at 7:24 PM.
