Patriots Country

Patriots Sign UC Davis RB

An undrafted free agent running back out of UC Davis reportedly signed with the New England Patriots shortly after Round Seven wrapped up.

Kevin Sinclair

Sep 9, 2023; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; UC Davis Aggies running back Lan Larison (3) is tackled by Oregon State Beavers defensive back Kiran Oladapo (28) during the first half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images
Sep 9, 2023; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; UC Davis Aggies running back Lan Larison (3) is tackled by Oregon State Beavers defensive back Kiran Oladapo (28) during the first half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images / Soobum Im-Imagn Images
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As usual, it wasn't long after Day Three of the 2025 NFL Draft before news of undrafted free agents signing with various teams began to surface rapidly.

For the New England Patriots, an interesting signing surfaced very quickly after the 257th draft pick was announced at the tail end of Round Seven.

According to a social media post on X from running back Lan Larison, an Idaho native who spent the last five years as a standout player for the UC Davis Aggies, he indicated that the Patriots had picked him up, and it's fair to assume his undrafted free agent status served as the conduit to that opportunity.

Shortly thereafter, Boston Globe Senior NFL Writer Ben Volin posted on X specifics about Larison's opportunity with the Patriots.

Over his last two seasons (2023-2024), the 6-foot, 215-pound workhorse of a back managed to break 1,000 rushing yards while rising fairly close to 1,000 receiving yards as well.

As a fifth-year 'back in the Big Sky Conference last season, Larison recorded 1,465 rushing yards and 17 touchdown on 284 carries (5.2 yards/carry) on top of a significant 62 receptions for 847 yards and six additional scores. He also attempted nine passes, completing five for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Through 2023 and 2024 combined, the Managerial Economics major cooked up 2,566 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns, 83 catches for 1,045 yards and eight touchdowns.

Larison and the UC Davis Aggies went 11-3 last year, kicking off the season with a 31-13 loss to Cal before compiling a nine-game winning streak from September 7 through November 9. Montana State snapped that run on November 16 in a 30-28 heartbreaker.

Larison and the Aggies defeated Sacramento State and Illinois State thereafter before a 35-21 loss to the South Dakota Coyotes who advanced to the FCS semifinal thereafter.

This will be an interesting off-season development to track moving forward.

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Kevin Sinclair
KEVIN SINCLAIR

Kevin Sinclair writes coverage of the Pitt Panthers along with the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Titans for On SI. Previously, he was a recruiting reporter and managing editor at Irish Illustrated, the privately-owned Notre Dame site within the 247Sports Network, for over seven-and-a-half years. Kevin studied multimedia journalism and has been a sports writer for nearly a decade.

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