QB Gardner Minshew's college coach: 'He's an adapter, and he's skilled at it'

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't necessarily set up for success in 2020, but offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and the team's front office are ready to see what quarterback Gardner Minshew is really made of, and they're pretty lucky, too, as Minshew is known for thriving in difficult situations, according to ESPN's Michael DiRocco.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused much uncertainty throughout the NFL, and with offseason programs being entirely virtual, some organizations may struggle when they're allowed to return to the field — but not Minshew.

Minshew, 24, is pretty familiar with learning a new offense since he had to do so during his collegiate career at both Eastern Carolina and Washington State, where he quickly adapted to the offense at both schools. The Jaguars now are hoping he can do so again while learning Gruden's offense on the fly.

His former college coach at WashingtonState, Mike Leach, believes Minshew will have no problem learning his seventh offense since 2014, and says Minshew was made for this moment.

“His path (to this point) was a rough path and it was one where he had to adjust,” Leach said, according to DiRocco. “There’s not many people in the NFL that have been a part of more offenses than Gardner Minshew. He’s an adapter, and he’s skilled at it, and he’s trained at it. All that is going to play into his favor to put his best foot forward.

“It’s tempting to say that (seven offenses in six years) is not ideal. Well, things aren’t always ideal. You deal with what you have in front of you, but I can’t think of anybody better in this situation than Gardner Minshew.”

Minshew, a sixth-round pick in 2019, is heading into his second season with the Jaguars. In 2019 he went 6-6 with 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 60.6 percent of his passes. He also added 344 yards rushing. 

While it seems he may be set up for success, the Jaguars don't necessarily have a great offense set up for this season outside of Minshew. Leonard Fournette, the organization's top running back, could be traded at any point and the receiving corps is less than ideal. 

If they Jaguars want to succeed, the pressure certainly will be on Minshew to deliver.