Lamont Lester Jr.'s Colorado Impact Highlighted by Prestigious Honor

The Colorado Buffaloes have shown they lured in an underrated impact performer with defensive lineman Lamont Lester Jr.'s head-turning game against Georgia Tech.

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Colorado Buffaloes just watched an award-winning performance from edge rusher Lamont Lester Jr.

That's because his three-sack evening against Georgia Tech earned him a prestigious honor, announced on Sept. 9.

What Award Lamont Lester Jr. Earned

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive lineman Lamont Lester Jr. (56) reacts against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The former Monmouth University pass rusher got recognized for his dominance against the ACC power Yellow Jackets. By winning the Walter Camp's National Defensive Player of the Week honor.

Now they know‼️

Lamont Lester Jr. is Walter Camp’s National Defensive Player of the Week.@LamontLester6 x #GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/NoqorJJQ8s

— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) September 9, 2026

Lester, again, hit the hat trick of sacks on new Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza. Yet the 6-2, 230-pounder's breakout evening became a new career-high mark for him.

Lester spearheaded a brand new pass rush with coach Deion Sanders now leaning into new defensive coordinator Chris Marve to run the attack. But Lester's outing hit some new notable marks for Colorado on the defensive side that wasn't seen last season.

Impact of Lamont Lester Jr. Presence on Colorado Greatly Felt

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Makari Vickers (10) and defensive back Naeten Mitchell (4) tackles Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Jordan Allen (4) at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Colorado hit some notable defensive marks thanks to the impact of Lester. Yet he even surpassed a previous 2025 mark.

The Buffaloes' best pass rushers last season were Keaten Wade and Arden Walker, who delivered only 2.5 sacks. Lester immediately scaled that mark in the first game of the 2026 season.

But his speed added other new wrinkles for this Marve-led Colorado defense. Marve plugged him at various techniques on the line of scrimmage.

East Rutherford, NJ August 8, 2023 -- Lamont Lester of Don Bosco at the high school football Super Football Conference Media Day at MetLife Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Marve trusted Lester to play at the Wide-9 spot, allowing him to attack from a different angle. That type of technique for defensive ends are normally reserved for the quickest defensive linemen along the line, allowing them to have an unimpeded path to the quarterback and forcing a kick-step out of the tackle.

Marve, though, brilliantly got Lester to line up in the Wide-9 with the blocking back aligned on the opposite side of the edge rusher. He made sure Lester only needed the left tackle to beat in order to get his hands on Mendoza.

Lamont Lester Jr. looked like an NFL-level pass rusher in his Colorado debut 👀

He’s a bit undersized, but it’s hard to argue with 3 sacks on 12 pass rush snaps as a RS-Sophomore. pic.twitter.com/FSWQ6pPyk1

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 5, 2026

The former Virginia Tech assistant Marve even allowed Lester to cut inside the tackle's shoulder instead of relying solely on letting him seal off the edge. Lester's first-step explosion proved to become stress worthy for Georgia Tech's blindside protection.

Lester already looks like the fastest defensive lineman on the field for the 2026 Buffaloes. Sanders and his coaching staff clearly saw a cat-quick, high-motor defender instead of zeroing in on the type of competition Lester faced at Monmouth, which plays at the FCS level. Colorado fans will especially love Lester's humbleness after the game.

Lamont Lester Believes Colorado can Become Better

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders reacts in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lester shared these words that fuel the belief that the Georgia Tech performance was only a small sample.

"I feel like the edge room is really elite and if we can keep getting better, than we can be a really elite group down the stretch," Lester told reporters on Sept. 8.

Now he'll face FCS competition again, but only this time against Weber State in the home opener at Folsom Field. Colorado had sold approximately 42,500 tickets four days before the Sept. 12 showdown. Now this game will feature the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, who has a vision of improving his totals as the year goes on.

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