For many offensive coordinators, when working with a first-year starting quarterback, they would scale back the offense and take things off their plate. That’s not the case for Minnesota offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr and redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey. Instead, Harbaugh Jr is being aggressive in working with Lindsey, who will start his first […]
For many offensive coordinators, when working with a first-year starting quarterback, they would scale back the offense and take things off their plate. That’s not the case for Minnesota offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr and redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey.
Instead, Harbaugh Jr is being aggressive in working with Lindsey, who will start his first game as a Gopher on August 28 against the Buffalo Bulls.
“I put probably more on Drake’s plate than I did last year,” Harbaugh told the Minnesota media on Tuesday. ” The offense is different. The offense is always evolving. But I love where we’re at. We’ve really become very, very multiple. Our thing is to make the same things look different and different things look the same.”
Last season, the Golden Gophers’ offense was led by a veteran quarterback, FCS transfer Max Brosmer. The Georgia native is now in camp with the Minnesota Vikings. But despite having a veteran and high football IQ quarterback in Brosmer, the Gophers are entrusting Lindsey, in just his second year as a collegiate athlete, with more at the line of scrimmage.
“He’s doing more at the line of scrimmage than Max was last year,” Harbaugh said. “That’s by design. He can handle it. I’m very excited about it. It’s not that I’m force-feeding it on him; he can handle it.”
With that ability, the Gophers are showing that they trust the former three-star quarterback to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage. That could include but isn’t limited to, calling audibles based on the defense’s personnel and alignment, changing the routes of wide receivers, and changing protections.
So far, Lindsey has been successful in that regard, according to Harbaugh.
“It’s been exciting because he’s been able to get our offense into some premier looks and great situations in run or pass,” he said.
It’s also a part of the game that Lindsey has been embracing.
“It’s tons of preparation. Every single night before bed, I’m reviewing scripts, new plays, and notes from meetings,” Lindsey told the media. “I even FaceTime with Max to pick his brain; he’s been a great resource.”
Lindsey, in his first season with the program, developed a strong relationship with Brosmer, with the two often inseparable.
“Drake has attached himself to Max’s (Brosmer) hip,” P.J. Fleck said about Lindsey last December before the Gophers’ Duke’s Mayo Bowl game against Virginia Tech.
“You see Max somewhere, and Drake is right there. It’s just not the football piece,” Fleck noted. “It’s the mannerisms. It’s how you lead. It’s what you say. It’s when you say it. It’s how you say it.”
Lindsey also says that it’s the work at the line of scrimmage that he believes has been the biggest area of growth in his game.
“When I first came here in the spring, I felt like I could play football, but I wasn’t executing the whole game. Learning protections, flipping runs, and getting the offense into the right look,” he said. “That’s where I’ve taken a huge leap.”
While there have been plenty of positives throughout the spring and now fall camp, Lindsey also knows that there are going to be speed bumps along the way. On tougher days, he relies on his trust in his teammates.
“One day you have a good day, the next day it’s more humbling,” Lindsey said of camp. “I just try to trust my teammates and put the ball in a good spot,” he said. “We have great weapons outside and some tough backs in the backfield. It’s really special to have this group and coaches supporting me.”
But that trust also includes those responsible for keeping him upright, his offensive line. “The O-line is doing phenomenal, and that gives me a lot of confidence,” Lindsey said.
As long as Lindsey keeps showing progress, the Gophers’ plan will be to keep on challenging him.
“We’re putting more on him because he can handle it,” Harbaugh said. “That’s what we need to be successful this year.”
Category: General Sports
