Honors
- Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award: 10/8/25
- CUSA Honor Roll: 2025
- MVFC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award: 2024
- MVFC Honor Roll: 2022, 2024
- MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll: Fall 2022, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025
Missouri State
2025: Played in all 13 games (313 snaps), including a start in the home finale vs. LA Tech (11/29/25) ... Selected as the Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award recipient on 10/8/25 ... Carried 6 times for 9 yards and collected 6 passes for 62 yards and a TD ... Had a one-yard TD reception from Jacob Clark in home win over UT Martin (9/20/25) ... Had a critical 16-yard pass reception in win at Marshall (9/6/25) to help Bears secure their first win as an FBS club ... Had a season-long 33-yard catch in home finale vs. LA Tech (11/29/25) ... Carried 4 times for 11 yards in home win vs. FIU (10/2925) ... Brought down 5 ball carriers on special teams for the season, including 4 solo tackles while earning the squad's special teams "Grinder" award for games vs. UT Martin, UTEP (11/15/25) and at Kennesaw State (11/22/25) ... Also named by coaching staff as the special teams "Showtime" award winner for game at Middle Tennessee (10/8/25) ... Earned Conference USA Honor Roll accolades ... Named to MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll for Fall 2025 semester.
2024: Played in 11 games as a redshirt sophomore and served as the team's primary fullback ... Scored 2 touchdowns on 5 offensive touches in 2024 while contributing 6 special teams tackles ... Named MSU special teams "Grinder" of the game for contests at Montana (8/31/24), Indiana State (10/19/24) and at Murray State (11/9/24) ... Caught a 3-yard TD reception from Jacob Clark in win at UT Martin (9/21/24)... Had 2 receptions for 27 yards in win at Northern Iowa (10/26/24), including a career-best 27-yard TD reception, in addition to a 13-yard kickoff return ... Earned spot on MVFC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award list and MVFC Honor Roll ... Earned MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll status for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters.
2023: Diagnosed in early September 2023 with stage four Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Lair became the inspirational push for the Bears who adopted the #40Strong hashtag to inspire and guide their teammate through his treatment ... Before his diagnosis, he played in 2 games during his sophomore year to earn a redshirt ... Made season debut at Kansas (9/1/23) in season opener and also saw action the following week at UT Martin (9/9/23) ... Named to MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll for Spring 2024 semester.
2022: Played in 10 games as a true freshman and made an immediate impact on special teams ... Logged first solo tackle at home vs. Southern Illinois (10/8/22) ... Also had assisted stops vs. UT Martin (10/8/22) and at North Dakota (10/1/22) ... Earned a spot on the MVFC Honor Roll ... Named to Athletic Director's Honor Roll for Fall 2022 semester.
High School
One of the top prep prospects in Missouri as a senior, Lair racked up 720 yards on 87 carries at West Plains (Mo.) High with 20 ground touchdowns for coach Matt Perkins in 2021 ... Defensively, he totaled 90 tackles with 21.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks for the Zizzers as part of a 10-2 team that won back-to-back conference and district titles ... Also caught 22 passes for 539 yards, while earning a spot on the News-Leader Dominant Dozen ... Earned all-state, all-region, all-conference and all-district honors for second straight year ... As a junior in 2020, he posted 105 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss and three sacks in just 6 games and finished his prep career with 257 tackles and 43 touchdowns ... Team made state quarterfinal playoff runs in three of his four seasons.
Personal
Connor Lair was born 10/6/03 in West Plains, Mo. ... Son of Heath and Erin Lair of West Plains ... Has three brothers, Brett, Jax and Mason ... Majoring in Sociology.
