Trey Lance played college football at North Dakota State University. He was redshirted for the 2018 season, but played in two games where he recorded two rushing touchdowns. In 2019, he became North Dakota States quarterback and completed 192-of-287 passes for 2,786 yards, 28 touchdowns, and zero interceptions, while rushing for 1,110 yards and 14 touchdowns. He played in 16 games that season and one game in 2020, where he completed 15 of 30 passing attempts and added two touchdowns on the ground with 143 rushing yards.