Gardner Minshew: From High School Standout to NFL Quarterback

Gardner Flint Minshew II, born on May 16, 1996, has carved a unique path through the world of football, from his high school days to becoming a professional quarterback in the NFL. Minshew's journey is marked by unexpected turns, impressive performances, and a dedicated following that propelled him into the national spotlight.

Early Years and High School Success

Minshew was born in Flowood, Mississippi, and raised in nearby Brandon. His parents are Flint Minshew, a contractor, and Kim Minshew, a middle school math teacher and former basketball player at Mississippi State. Minshew's football journey began at Brandon High School. As a quarterback for the Brandon Bulldogs, Minshew threw for an impressive 9,705 yards and 88 touchdowns over four seasons. In 2012, he led his team to the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) 6A championship game, where they were narrowly defeated by South Panola with a score of 31-23.

College Career: A Winding Road

Minshew's college career began with a commitment to Troy University. However, his path took a turn when he transferred to Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Northwest Mississippi Community College

On June 3, 2015, Minshew signed a National Letter of Intent to transfer out of Troy and enroll at Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he would play college football with the Rangers in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Despite initial doubts from Northwest Mississippi coach Jack Wright about his chances of becoming the starting quarterback, Minshew quickly proved his abilities and won the role just one week after transferring, with his competition also transferring out of Northwest.

In his NJCAA debut, Minshew completed 21 of 31 passes for 332 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown, earning him the title of Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges (MACJC) Offensive Player of the Week. Minshew and the Rangers experienced an impressive run, remaining undefeated until October 16, when they were defeated by the East Mississippi Lions in a second-half comeback. Minshew finished the game 18 of 37 for 211 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The Rangers then advanced to the postseason, where they faced East Central Community College in the semifinals. After defeating Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College 34-24 in the MACJC Football Championship, the Rangers faced Rochester Community and Technical College in the NJCAA National Football Championship.

East Carolina Pirates

On May 3, 2016, Minshew signed a grant-in-aid with East Carolina University, which enabled him to continue his football career with the Pirates at the NCAA Division I level. There, following the offseason departure of Kurt Benkert, Minshew was brought in to back up Philip Nelson. Minshew made his East Carolina debut in Week 1, relieving Nelson midway through the third quarter of a 47-29 loss to Central Florida after the other quarterback suffered an injury. After entering the game, Minshew completed 12 of 27 passes for 192 yards, but was intercepted twice, and coach Scottie Montgomery was ambivalent towards Minshew's performance, telling reporters, "I would be remiss if I said he did a great job". Nelson suffered another injury the next week at South Florida, and Minshew stepped in to complete 21 of 33 passes for 220 yards and one touchdown in the 38-22 loss. After that game, Montgomery told reporters, "He worked as well as he could." Montgomery also clarified that Minshew would not replace Nelson as the starting quarterback despite Nelson's injuries in consecutive games, saying, "If Philip's able to play, Philip is our starting quarterback right now. Minshew did not play again until November 5, replacing Nelson in the second quarter of a 45-24 loss to Tulsa. Although Thomas Sirk, a senior transfer from Duke University, was expected to become East Carolina's starting quarterback in 2017, Montgomery gave the title to Minshew after concerns about Sirk's history of Achilles tendon injuries, as well as Minshew's greater familiarity with his teammates. In the season opener against James Madison, Minshew completed 7 of 18 passes for 82 yards and one interception before he was benched at halftime in favor of Sirk. The reverse happened in the next game, with Minshew replacing Sirk after the latter suffered a hit to the head in the third quarter of a game against West Virginia. Minshew did not receive significant playing time again until October 14, when he relieved Sirk in the third quarter of a 63-21 loss to Central Florida. Montgomery was worried about protecting both of his quarterbacks and wanted Minshew to keep the ball in his hands as little as possible. He finished 6 of 12 for 69 yards and one touchdown. Minshew relieved Sirk the following week against Brigham Young when Sirk injured his throwing elbow.

Washington State Cougars: The Rise of "Minshew Mania"

As a graduate transfer, Minshew chose Washington State over Alabama, a decision that would prove pivotal. The Tennessean reported that Minshew is a graduate transfer who played the past two seasons at East Carolina. According to Theo Lawson of The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington), Washington State, not Alabama, will be the new destination for East Carolina graduate transfer quarterback Gardner Minshew. Alabama's quarterbacks room projects to be the most competitive in the country next season, with 14-game starter Jalen Hurts and national championship game Most Valuable Player Tua Tagovailoa both coming back. WSU's quarterbacks room, on the other hand, is tied for the country's least experienced.

Minshew's arrival at Washington State sparked "Minshew Mania." He led the country in total offense during his single season with the Cougars, showcasing his skills and earning national recognition. Washington State defeated Wyoming 41-19 in their 2018 season opener, with Minshew throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns in his team debut. The next week, he had three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown in Washington State's 31-0 shutout victory over San Jose State. Minshew did not suffer a loss with Washington State until Week 4, when he was the subject of a controversial hit from USC Trojans linebacker Porter Gustin. Pac-12 Conference officials determined that the hit did not meet the definition of targeting, and USC held on to win 39-36. Through the first six games of the season, Minshew had a 5-1 record and an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)-leading 2,422 passing yards, 313 passing attempts, and 215 completions. He was named the Rose Bowl Game's Pac-12 Player of the Week on October 8, following his performance against Oregon State, where he completed 30 of 40 for 430 yards and five touchdowns in the 56-37 win. On November 17, while helping Washington State to their tenth season win in a 69-28 defeat of Arizona, Minshew completed 43 of 55 passes for 473 yards with no interceptions and a school record-setting seven touchdown passes. After eleven games, the Cougars had a 10-1 record and a #8 ranking in the CFP Ranking Poll. Entering the Apple Cup against rival Washington, the winner of the game would go to the Pac-12 Championship Game. Washington State faced Iowa State in the 2018 Alamo Bowl, with Minshew completing 35 of 49 passes for 299 yards, leading Washington State to a 28-26 victory, and taking home the bowl's Offensive MVP award. His 35 completions in the game were also an Alamo Bowl record, three more than Nick Foles set with Arizona in 2010. Minshew finished his graduate season with 468 completed passes in 662 attempts, 38 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and 4,776 passing yards, breaking both Connor Halliday's Washington State single-season passing yards record and Jared Goff's single-season Pac-12 record.

During his time at Washington State, some of his best games included:

Washington State vs. Arizona, Nov. Nearly 20 percent of Minshew's passing touchdowns during the 2018 season came in one game against Arizona. The final score? It could've been much worse, too. The Cougars had 55 points at halftime and they didn't score at all in the third quarter. A 50-yard touchdown from Minshew to Davontavean Martin with 10 seconds left in the first half put Wazzu past the half-century mark.
Washington State at Oregon State, Oct. Minshew completed 30-of-40 passes for 430 passing yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in a 56-37 win. The Cougars scored a touchdown in every quarter, including 21 points in the fourth.
Washington State at Stanford, Oct. Minshew completed a season-high 80 percent of his passes in the game, going 40-for-50 for 438 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 41-38 win against No. 24 Stanford.

NFL Career: From Jacksonville to Kansas City

Minshew's impressive college performance caught the attention of the NFL, leading to his selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

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Jacksonville Jaguars

In February 2019, Minshew was one of three Washington State football players, alongside Andre Dillard and James Williams, to receive an invitation from the National Football League (NFL) to that year's NFL Scouting Combine. As a quarterback whose style of offense prioritizes passing over rushing, his 40-yard dash speed at the combine did not stand out; coaches from various National Football League (NFL) teams also inquired as to why Minshew had attended four different colleges in as many years. Minshew had the second-largest hand size of any quarterback at the combine, with his 10.125 inches (257.2 mm) span behind only Tyree Jackson's 10.25 inches (260 mm). Minshew was physically smaller than many of the other quarterbacks at the combine and he told at least one coach, "I know I'm too short, too slow, but I won 11 fucking games last year". He was also confident that the popularity of other passing-heavy quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Jared Goff, and Baker Mayfield in the NFL would help his stock in the upcoming draft. 28 of 32 NFL teams also came to watch Minshew at Washington State's pro day, where he completed 41 of 46 passes.

Minshew made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs when Foles fractured his left clavicle in the first quarter of game. Foles struggled in his return, with only two touchdown drives in three games. While facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 1, he was benched at halftime in favor of Minshew. Although the Jaguars lost 28-11, unable to recoup their first-half deficit, Minshew completed 16 of 27 passes for 141 yards and successfully led the team to two scoring drives. The next day, Jaguars' coach Doug Marrone announced that Minshew would start the Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite losing to the Chargers 45-10, Minshew was 24 for 37 with 162 yards and one touchdown; his one touchdown, the 15th of the year, set a Jacksonville franchise record for most passing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback. In his next game, Minshew was 17 of 29 with 201 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-16 comeback victory over the Oakland Raiders, the last game to be played in the Oakland Coliseum; he described seeing "more middle fingers today than I have in my whole life" after steering Jacksonville towards victory. Minshew and the Jaguars closed out the season with a 38-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts, during which Minshew threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns. Appearing in 14 games for Jacksonville as a rookie, Minshew had a 6-8 record for the year, with 285 completions in 470 attempts (60.6 completion percentage), 3,271 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 91.2 passer rating.

Foles was traded to the Chicago Bears in March 2020 in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft, paving the way for Minshew to take over as the Jaguars' starting quarterback in the 2020 season. During an October 11 loss to the Texans in which he threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, Minshew suffered multiple fractures and a strained ligament in his right thumb, a series of injuries through which he continued playing until Jacksonville's 39-29 loss to the Chargers on October 25. X-ray exams after that game revealed the extent of Minshew's injuries, which helped to explain his uncharacteristically poor performance through the first half of the season. At the time, he had a 65.9 percent pass completion rate, five interceptions, and three lost fumbles. In Minshew's absence, Mike Glennon took over as Jacksonville's starting quarterback, a role that he maintained even after Minshew was activated from the injured reserve. Glennon struggled in his Week 13 start, however, and he was pulled halfway through the third quarter of the Jaguars' Week 14 game in favor of Minshew.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Jaguars dealt him to Philadelphia for a sixth-round pick in August of 2021, and he backed up starter Jalen Hurts. Minshew made his first start of the 2021 season in Week 13, after starting quarterback Jalen Hurts was sidelined with an ankle injury. Facing the New York Jets, Minshew completed 20 of 25 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns, lifting the Eagles to a 33-18 finish. He had a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating through the first half of the game, and tied Donovan McNabb with a 93.3 percent first-half completion rate, the highest by an Eagles quarterback in 30 years. Following that game, Minshew asked Nick Sirianni what it would take to become the Eagles' starting quarterback over Hurts, a conversation that Sirianni dismissed. Minshew entered the 2022 season as Hurts's backup quarterback. He made his first appearance of the season in Week 8, relieving Hurts for the final ten minutes of the Eagles' 35-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He went 1-for-2 with 23 yards in his limited outing. Minshew appeared again at the end of the Eagles' Week 13 game against the Titans.

Indianapolis Colts

On September 24, Minshew made his first start of the season against the Baltimore Ravens due to designated starting quarterback Anthony Richardson being out on concussion protocol. He led them to a 22-19 overtime victory, completing 27 passes on 44 throws for 227 yards and a touchdown. Minshew was named the starting quarterback for the Colts after Richardson suffered an AC joint sprain in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans; the latter was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Read also: Affording The Gardner School

Las Vegas Raiders

Minshew signed a two-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders on March 14, 2024. He was named the team's starting quarterback on August 18. In Week 2, Minshew rallied the Raiders to an upset road victory over the Ravens, orchestrating three scoring drives in the fourth quarter to overcome a 10-point deficit. Through five games, Minshew completed 70.7% of his passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns but also threw five interceptions, including a 100-yard pick-six in a Week 5 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Personal Life and Faith

Minshew is a Christian. He has said, “It’s amazing what can happen when you surrender to God’s plan. God’s taken me too far to ever doubt that He’s looking out for me. Outside of football, Minshew is known for his distinctive physical appearance and exercise habits, which have generated several nicknames. While playing for Northwest Mississippi, Minshew had a cameo appearance in the Netflix documentary miniseries Last Chance U.

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