Trio Of Standout Ferris State Football Alums Begin NFL Preseason Training Camps This Week

Big Rapids, Mich. - A trio of former Ferris State University football players, who helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championships and NCAA Playoff berths the past two seasons, will continue their quest to become professionals as they head to their respective National Football League (NFL) Preseason Training Camps this week.

The Bulldogs will be represented in NFL camps by former two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winning quarterback Jason Vander Laan (Frankfort, Ill./Chicago Christian), who is now a tight end for the New York Jets, along with standout defensive tackle Justin Zimmer (Greenville) with the Buffalo Bills and wide receiver Jake Lampman (East Lansing/Haslett) of the New Orleans Saints. 

All three signed free agent contracts with their NFL clubs in the spring following the NFL Draft and took part in rookie camps along with offeseason training activities and workouts.

The three FSU standouts to sign with an NFL team this year were the most of any GLIAC member school in the spring and among the most of any NCAA Division II institution this season.

Vander Laan will report to camp with the Jets at the organization's Atlantic Health Training Center in Florham Park, N.J., on Wednesday (July 27). Meanwhile, Lampman and the Saints will begin their preseason workouts by reporting the same day in White Sulpher Springs, W.Va., at The Greenbrier facility with Zimmer checking into the Bills' preseason camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y., on Thursday (July 28).

All three will begin camp trying to make their respective team's 53-man active rosters for the 2016 campaign. Each club will cut down gradually throughout the preseason with the final roster and practice squad selections announced leading up to the start of the NFL regular-season.

Vander Laan and the Jets will take the field for preseason game action on Aug. 11 when New York hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars at Metlife Stadium. Meanwhile, Lampman will join the Saints for their preseason opener on the road at the New England Patriots the same evening with Zimmer and the Bills beginning the preseason slate at home on Aug. 13 versus the Indianapolis Colts. The NFL regular-season begins on Thursday, Sept. 8.

Vander Laan, who earned his second consecutive Harlon Hill Trophy as the nation's top collegiate player, became the greatest rushing quarterback in NCAA college football history at any level last season, concluding his career with 5,953 total yards on the ground. He also became the first player in NCAA history to top 1,000 yards rushing and passing for four consecutive seasons.

The veteran signal caller led the Bulldogs to a cumulative 37-9 overall mark, two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles, two NCAA playoff appearances and back-to-back unbeaten regular seasons as the Ferris State quarterback in the last four years. The two-time GLIAC Player of the Year finished his senior campaign passing for 2,625 yards and 27 touchdowns while rushing for 1,542 yards and 24 more scores.

Zimmer finished his collegiate career as a three-time All-GLIAC First Team selection for the Bulldogs. He was both a nominee for the Gene Upshaw NCAA Division II Lineman of the Year Award and the Cliff Harris National Small College Defensive Player of the Year Award last year after being a national finalist for both honors the previous campaign.

Statistically, Zimmer led Ferris State in tackles (81), quarterback sacks (13), tackles for loss (26) and forced fumbles (four). Along with Vander Laan, he was also chosen to the 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team squad, making him a three-time Academic All-American and two-time first-team recipient.

Lampman wrapped up his Bulldog career last fall as one of the top wideouts in school history. He claimed first-team All-GLIAC accolades in his final campaign after leading FSU with 731 receiving yards on 52 catches in 12 contests. He averaged 14.1 yards per catch in 2015 and tallied eight TD's in the air. Last fall, he also carried the ball 14 times for 125 yards and four scores on the ground.

The Bulldog wideout returned for his final season after missing most of the 2014 campaign due to injury. He was a four-year letterwinner in the Bulldog program and finished his career ranked sixth all-time in receiving yards with 2,201 total yards. In addition, he played a valuable role on special teams as a dangerous return man in his five seasons in the Ferris State program.

Together, the trio helped lead the Bulldogs to an 11-1 overall record for the second-straight year in 2015 as FSU captured the school's second-straight GLIAC Championship while capping off back-to-back unbeaten regular seasons. Ferris State also stretched its regular-season win streak to a current 25-game stretch and posted the first playoff victory in 19 years.

Behind their performance, FSU posted the GLIAC's best league record over the past four seasons (34-6) and the squad owns the top overall four-year record of all 21 collegiate programs in Michigan (37-9) under head coach Tony Annese.

This year marks the fourth-straight year in which at least one Bulldog senior has received a chance to continue his career on the professional level. Last year, in 2015, former defensive tackle Marcus Cribbs was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent soon after the NFL Draft. Former defensive back Marvin Robinson inked with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014 and before Cribbs was the first since free agent cornerback Angelo Williams with the Minnesota Vikings in 2010. Previously, in 2013, former defensive end Jordan Morgan received a rookie tryout with the New York Giants, but did not sign.

The select group also consists of running back Dave Gagnon (1974-Chicago Bears), outside linebacker Monty Brown (1997-New York Jets), defensive tackle Ed Philion(1994-Buffalo Bills), defensive end Dave Zuiderveen (2001-Atlanta Falcons), flanker Clarence Coleman (2002-Buffalo Bills), tackle Matt McCoy (2004-Detroit Lions), wide receiver Carlton Brewster (2006-Cleveland Browns) and defensive tackle Jake Visser (2009-Houston Texans).

Two other former Ferris State players, offensive guard Bill Bourdlais and safety Patrick Wells, received tryout invitations from the Cleveland Browns in 2008 and participated in the team's rookie minicamp, but did not ink a deal. Several others have also had NFL tryouts including wide receiver Andre Johnson (1989), quarterback Dave DenBraber (1987) and receiver/returner Fred Kirkland (1981). Defensive back James Skodak (2006) also had tryouts with several NFL organizations among other past Bulldog standouts.