Juco All-American plugs gap at QB
By
Sammy Batten
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Flint Minshew was a hulking nose
tackle during his playing days at NCAA Division III Millsaps College,
where he’s a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame.
So when Flint’s son, Gardner, started his football career in the
Brandon, MS, recreational league it was assumed the younger Minshew
would follow in his father’s footsteps and play defense.
“My dad is a big guy, so everyone thought I’d be a defensive lineman
like him,’’ Gardner Minshew said this week. “But my first day of flag
football we showed up and by the end of practice I was playing
quarterback. I think at that point I was the only guy who could handle a
snap and hand it off. I've been a quarterback since that day.''
And a pretty good one at that.
Minshew went on to earn all-state honors at Brandon High School and
junior college All-American honors last season at Northwest Mississippi
Community College. It was at the latter that East Carolina's new head
coach Scottie Montgomery and offensive coordinator Tony Peterson
discovered the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder just when they needed a
quarterback.
The
decision by junior quarterback Kurt Benkert to transfer
April 25 left Montgomery and Peterson with just one player on the 2016
roster – transfer Philip Nelson - who had taken a snap in a college
game. The move sent the Pirates scrambling to bolster their quarterback
depth chart, hopefully with a player who could come in and compete with
Nelson next fall.
They found that quarterback in Minshew.
“I had some contact with East Carolina about a month ago, but it wasn't
much,'' Minshew said. “Then a week or so ago Coach Peterson hit me up
and explained the situation there. He said they needed to make a move
quickly. The next Monday he called and offered (a scholarship).
“This past weekend I went on a visit (to Greenville). It all happened
pretty quickly because of the situation they have there.''
Minshew signed grant-in-aid papers with ECU last Tuesday and was
officially announced as an addition to the
recruiting class of 2016 by the school Wednesday. He
is scheduled to arrive in Greenville on May 17 to enroll for summer
school and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Despite the fact his father played college football, Gardner Minshew
didn't have his sights set on a major college career until he reached
the eighth grade. His Brandon Middle School squad was facing
Presbyterian Christian out of Hattiesburg, and Minshew was so impressive
in the game that an opposing coach approached him after the finish.
The coach wound up being former University of Alabama and Baltimore
Colts wide receiver, and ex-NFL head coach Ray Perkins.
“Ray Perkins was helping coach their middle school team,'' Minshew said.
“After the game he told me I was the best middle school quarterback he'd
ever seen. I didn't know quite how big of a deal that was until my Dad
told me later. But that stuck with me and encouraged me to believe I had
a shot at it.''
Minshew certainly lived up to Perkins' assessment once he reached
Brandon High School, where he was a varsity starter for three-and-a-half
seasons.
Called upon late in his freshman year to run the Brandon offense,
Minshew completed 41 of 69 passes for 473 yards and six touchdowns in
his varsity debut. He then sparked the Bulldogs to a 14-3 finish as a
sophomore by completing 216 of 388 passes for 3,001 yards and 27
touchdowns.
The big numbers kept coming for Minshew as a junior (186-315 passing for
2,690 yards and 24 touchdowns) and as a senior (243-395 for 3,541 yards
and 31 touchdowns). His senior statistics helped Brandon reach the state
championship game and earned Minshew first-team all-state honors.
But despite finishing his prep career with 11,222 passing yards and 105
touchdowns, Gardner's college options were limited.
“I signed up to be a walk-on at Troy,'' Minshew said. “I graduated early
and went to Troy for a semester, but I just wasn't crazy about it there.
“Northwest (Mississippi) recruited me out of high school and I had a
good relationship with their coaches. So I went there last summer and it
turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.''
Minshew quickly earned the starting quarterback job at Northwest
Mississippi and enjoyed a stellar freshman season. He led the Rangers to
an 11-1 finish and the national junior college championship by
completing 223 of 367 passes for 3,288 yards and 28 touchdowns. Minshew
capped his junior college career by throwing for 421 yards and five
touchdowns in Northwest Mississippi's 66-13 win against Rochester
Technical and Community College in the national finals.
East Carolina was a program Minshew had admired from afar, but knew very
little about.
“I had seen them on TV and remember watching Shane Carden and how
successful those teams were,'' Minshew said. “When they were in
Conference USA they used to play Southern Miss all the time. But other
than that I didn't know much.
“But when I went to campus and met with the coaches it was a very big
selling point to me. I really like and trust coach Montgomery and coach
Peterson. And once I started to see how the fans support the program, I
realized it was a place I wanted to be. I'm excited to get in and play
for fans like that.''
Minshew says he takes a “cerebral approach'' to playing quarterback and
considers himself a strong leader. “I've always found a way to win,''
said Minshew, who had a 36-7 record as a starter in high school.
Nelson will begin next fall as East Carolina's starting quarterback, but
Minshew hopes to make an impact as well.
“Obviously, Philip has a great resume,'' Minshew said. “He's done some
great things and progressed this spring. But I'm expecting it to be an
open competition and I'm looking forward to that. We'll push each other
and at the end of the day the best guy will be on the field.''
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05/09/2016 03:53 AM |