“Gardner is one of the smartest quarterbacks I have ever had,” Leach says. So far, Leach has been good on his promise, because Minshew is leading the nation in passing. 25 Cougars are 5-1 having lost only to Southern Cal, 39-36. Minshew quickly won the job in fall practices, and, as he puts it, “I haven’t looked back.” “Coach Mumme and Coach (Tony) Hughes were super-gracious,” Minshew says “I think it really helped me with the system and terminology when I finally got to Washington State.” So, Minshew instead spent this past spring attending spring workouts and meetings at Jackson State where Hal Mumme, Leach’s co-inventor of the Air Raid offense, was then the offensive coordinator.
Problem was, he had already missed Washington State’s spring practice when he signed. “The chance to play for Mike Leach in his system was too good to pass up. “My heart was still set on playing,” Minshew says. Mississippi’s just-closed abortion clinic asks state’s highest court to allow it to reopen Minshew decided he would like that mighty fine. “Gardner, how would you like to come out to Washington State and lead the nation in passing?” Leach asked Minshew. “I plan to coach and the chance to get a foot in the door there at Alabama was really nice.”īut then Minshew got a call from Mike Leach at Washington State, whose recruiting approach was unique, if maybe a bit brash: “I think they thought (Jalen) Hurts might transfer and they were looking for a back-up for Tua Tagovailo,” Minshew says.
Eventually, Minshew wants to be a college coach. He committed, as much for the chance to become a graduate assistant coach under Nick Saban as for the opportunity to play for the Crimson Tide. The NCAA’s relatively new rule on early graduates allowed for him to transfer to another school without sitting out a year, so he decided to explore his options. 11 interceptions and graduated with a degree in communications.
In two seasons at East Carolina as a part-time starter, he threw for 24 touchdowns vs. He threw for a gazillion yards and still there were no offers from Mississippi schools, so he chose East Carolina for the next chapter of his college football odyssey. That wasn’t a good fit, so Minshew transferred to Northwest Community College where he led his team to a national championship as a freshman, winning the championship game 66-13. An honor student, he graduated in December and signed to play at Troy where he went on an academic scholarship rather than a football scholarship. Strike three, you’re out – only Gardner Minshew is very much in the spotlight – at Washington State.Īt Brandon, in 2014, Minshew threw for 3,541 yards and 31 touchdowns, leading the Bulldogs to the South 6A championship. “Yes, out of high school, then out of junior college and then as a grad transfer,” Minshew answers. I could have walked on, but no scholarship offers.” Seriously, Gardner, nobody in Mississippi offered you a scholarship? That’s fairly excellent for a guy none of the Mississippi schools offered after he shattered passing records in three and a half seasons as a starter at Brandon. He has thrown 19 touchdowns, just four interceptions. What you first need to know is that at Washington State, Minshew indeed leads the nation, having completed 215 of 313 passes for 2,422 yards. Minshew’s is a story of persistence and an unfailing belief in his own abilities when so many others doubted him. For Gardner Flint Minshew II, there were many, many stops in between. Brandon’s Gardner Minshew leads the nation in passing at Washington State.Ĭollege football’s leading passer hails from Brandon, Mississippi, and plays 2,236 miles away in Pullman, Washington.
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