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Bryce Lance turned around his career at NDSU.

North Dakota State wide receiver Bryce Lance knows he owes it to head coach Tim Polasek amid the NFL Draft.

Lance, the younger brother of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Trey Lance, didn’t exactly take off with the Bison the way his older brother did. The younger Lance had only one catch in 2023, his first season with the program. Polasek, who took the head coaching job in 2024, didn’t let Lance stay there.

“You’re an All-Conference player — you need to start performing to that level,” Polasek told Lance during a 2024 practice, per Micaela Gerhardt of the NDSU Foundation in a 2025 article. “Don’t wait for next year.”  

Lance didn’t, and he put up 75 receptions for 1,071 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024. He did more of the same with the Bison in 2025 with 51 receptions for 1,079 yards and eight touchdowns.

“I’m forever in debt to NDSU and all these coaches and my brothers and my teammates,” Lance told the Fargo Forum’s Dom Izzo. “They poured so much into me, and I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I’m at today without them. It’s just such a special program, and that’s why I’m so excited for them.”

Bryce Lance Prepared For Draft Moment

Where Lance lands in the draft is next, which could be as early as the second or third round on Friday in Pittsburgh.

Lance will be with his family in his hometown of Marshall, Minnesota, during the draft amid the unknown of what team will call him. Izzo reported that Lance has been quiet on what teams he has met with.

“I don’t know if you can prepare for that,” Lance told Izzo. “I never thought I was going to see my brother [Trey] cry. Then when he got that call, there they went. I don’t know if I’ll be prepared for that moment. I think it’s just going to be grateful and blessed.”

The draft is a familiar experience for Lance’s family since the San Francisco 49ers took Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick in 2021. Trey Lance had a short standout career with the Bison that was interrupted by COVID in 2020.

“It was a whirlwind to watch Trey go through that, but it allowed me to visualize those dreams and goals,” Bryce Lance told Izzo. 

They attended the draft in Cleveland that year because of Trey Lance going high in the first round. Bryce Lance calls this one “a full circle moment” for his family.

“I’m not sure how many parents get to experience one draft, let alone two drafts of their sons,” Bryce Lance told Izzo. “I’m excited for them as well, but it’s a full circle moment. I know Trey is super proud of me, and it’s going to be a really cool moment for our family.”

Tim Polasek on Bryce Lance Reaching Potential

While Lance had growing pains early on at NDSU, Polasek harnessed Lance’s potential in two seasons.

“To reach your full potential is really, really difficult. How many of us actually do that?” Polasek told Gerhardt in 2025. “Bryce is a really good example of a guy who wants to reach his full potential, who is coachable, who is open to us taking him into those tough, sticky spots where it’s difficult, and who works hard at being the best he can be.”