Prior to his injury, Lester had been considered a blue chip prospect and planned on committing to Florida and head coach Steve Spurrier.
[3][4] Lester threw for 11,299 passing yards with 87 TDs during his career, setting 17 school records after being recruited to WMU and winning MAC Freshman of the Year under head coach Al Molde and subsequently Gary Darnell and offensive coordinator Bill Cubit.
Lester finished his career ranked fourth all time in NCAA Division I for passing yards and sixth in touchdowns.
[9] Immediately following his playing career at WMU, Lester returned to his alma mater Wheaton Warrenville South high school as a math teacher.
Lester voluntarily left his position following the 2006 season in order to find employment closer to his family in the Chicago area.
[10] He found that at NCAA Division III North Central College, where he served as defensive coordinator for the 2007 season.
In 2012 Lester was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Coach of the Year after leading the Bluejays to their first NCAA Playoff appearance in school history.
The 2012, the Bluejays featured running back Scottie Williams, the Gagliardi Trophy award winner as the most outstanding player in Division III.
[11] The move reunited him with Orange head coach Scott Shafer and offensive coordinator George McDonald, all of whom had previously served on the same Western Michigan staff from 2005 to 2006.