COSTA MESA -- Trey Lance got off the North Dakota State sideline in just two games as a true freshman in 2018.
The Bison were in the capable hands of Easton Stick, the all-time winningest quarterback in FCS history with a 49-3 record as a four-year starter.
Stick was a fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2019 NFL Draft. He took over as the NDSU starter in 2015 after Carson Wentz became the No. 2 overall draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Lance and Stick reconnected this week, as the Chargers hosted the 49ers for two days of practices. Stick will start the exhibition game between the teams on Sunday night. Lance is expected to see extended playing time after starter Jimmy Garoppolo.
“It was really cool to see Trey,” Stick said. “I’m really happy for everything he has earned up until this point. Good to see him and good to chat a little. It will be fun to watch him run around on Sunday. Hopefully, we can get after him a little bit, but it was cool to see Trey.”
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The 49ers selected Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft. Although Stick might not have been thinking along those lines when they were together in Fargo, North Dakota, he said he could sense something special about his teammate.
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“The year I was with him, he worked his tail off,” Stick said. “You can tell that he really loved football and wanted to be great at it. He’s a really unique guy. Just his ability to connect with people and lead is pretty special.
“Trey showed up to campus and it was like, ‘OK, this guy has a shot. He’s pretty special.’ “