Former UC Davis back Lan Larison shines in NFL preseason debut, bruting out a TD
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lan Larison scored a touchdown in his NFL preseason debut with the Patriots.
- Larison recorded 44 total yards on nine touches in New England’s 48-18 win.
- He faces stiff competition for a roster spot and was seen in a walking boot postgame.
The UC Davis Aggies’ leader in career all-purpose yards Lan Larison showed out in his preseason debut for the New England Patriots on Friday as an undrafted free agent, including a hard-nosed touchdown late in the game.
“GET OUT THE WAY,” the New England Patriots said in a social media highlight of Larison’s score, which involved him running through a defender at the goal line.
Larison finished Friday’s 48-18 NFL preseason win over the Washington Commanders with 35 rushing yards and 9 receiving on a total of nine touches to go along with the touchdown. The former Aggie ran the ball four times on his scoring drive, including a 16-yard rush to put the Pats in position to score.
Larison got unfortunate news Sunday, when he was placed by the Patriots on injured reserve, ending his season. Larison was seen in a boot after the game by Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal.
Will Larison make NFL roster?
As an undrafted free agent who signed with the team in April, Larison even if not for his injury would have had an uphill battle to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster despite his strong performances Friday and at training camp. Final cuts will be made Aug. 27 after the preseason concludes.
Larison as of Friday’s game was listed in a three-way battle for the fourth-string running back spot on the Patriots unofficial depth chart posted on Patriots.com.
The top two backs, Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson, both have significant NFL experience including at least one season rushing for over 1,000 yards. TreVeyon Henderson, the current third-string running back, was drafted by the Pats in the second round.
Both Terrell Jennings and JaMycal Hasty, who are competing with Larison for the fourth-string spot as of now, have appeared in games for New England before.
In their preseason projections, the Boston Herald had only Stevenson, Gibson and Henderson making the cut at running back but did note Larison as a potential fringe pick.
Patriots ‘couldn’t be a better fit’
Larison, 23, was often called “the best player in the country” by his former head coach Tim Plough as he led the Aggies to arguably their best season in program history where they made the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs before losing to No. 4 South Dakota, 35-21.
He backed up his coaches’ claims with a season where he broke UCD’s single-season all-purpose yards record with 2,387 (1,465 rushing plus 847 receiving).
The former Aggie also took home a variety of awards, including being named to various All-American teams and the Big Sky All-Conference First Team, and earning an FCS Offensive Player of the Week Award.
When asked about whether his former All-Conference back would be a good fit for the six-time Super Bowl champions, Plough’s answer was simple:
“When he asked me what I thought, I said, ‘Lan, that is the perfect place for you to go,’” Plough said after comparing Larison’s skill for both rushing and pass catching to former New England backs, according to Patriots Wire. “First thing I thought was this couldn’t be a better fit.”
This story was originally published August 9, 2025 at 1:02 PM.
