Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone gave his team until Monday off, and apparently, Gardner Minshew is making the most of it. The rookie phenom returned to the place where Minshew Mania got its start to support the No. 19 ranked Washington State Cougars who are currently taking on the UCLA Bruins. He was apart of various festivities surrounding the team Saturday including some quality inter action with the fanbase, a Q&A with the media and raising the flag to kick off the team’s game.
Before being drafted by the Jags in the sixth round of April’s draft, the “Mississippi Mustache” was captivating the hearts of fans in Pullman as a senior. In a time in which the community was dealing with the unfortunate passing of quarterback Tyler Hilinski, Minshew came in and ignited the community by propelling them to their first-ever 11-win season and the No. 10 spot of the AP polls. He also was able to finish fifth in the Heisman race and his 4,779 passing yards on the season were good for second in the nation.
Minshew came into the league with a huge following after his successful run with Mike Leach and company. That fanbase only grew after the start he got off to in the NFL after replacing veteran quarterback Nick Foles, who broke his collarbone Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, the Duval faithful and Minshew’s fans from Washington State have gotten to watch the young quarterback become a national icon together, as he’s gotten off to the hottest rookie start since the Super Bowl era in terms of completion rate (73.9 percent) and passer rating (110.6).
