Lindsey living up to lofty expectations thus far
When a player is regarded as the centerpiece of a school’s recruiting class essentially from the moment he verbally commits, it’s generally already assumed that expectations are going to be high from the moment he sets foot on campus.
Such was the case for Tyjon Lindsey, a former four-star recruit who joined Nebraska’s 2017 class ranked as the No. 9 wide receiver in the country.
While he may only be a handful of practices into his college career, Lindsey has already shown flashes that he’s well on his way to living up to all of that hype.
“He is what we thought he was in terms of talent, there’s no question,” NU offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf said. “He’s picking up things well. He spent a lot of time over the summer with Tristan (Gebbia) studying, and it’s shown. It’s paying off for him.”
Listed at just 5-9, 160, Lindsey has quickly proven his game his much bigger than his stature with an impressive start to his first fall camp.
Though an injury limited his production as a senior at Bishop Gorman (Nev.) last year, the Corona, Calif., displayed the type of production he was capable of as a junior when he caught 45 passes for 1,117 yards and 14 touchdowns to help lead his team to a perfect 14-0 record.
After originally verbally committing to Ohio State, Lindsey flipped to Nebraska partly because of the relationships he had formed in Lincoln and also because he saw a great chance to make an immediate impact for the Huskers.
Receivers coach Keith Williams said NU’s staff made it clear from the beginning that if Lindsey put in the work he’d be in prime position to play a big role in 2017. So far, Lindsey has answered the call.
“He knows that he has an opportunity,” Williams said. “I told him that he would have an opportunity to play as a true freshman. With me telling him that and him believing that that could be possible, just in general, you’ll be anxious. He’s been anxious and he was ready to go.”
Despite his smaller frame, Williams said Lindsey had the potential to be the type of player that former Oregon State stars James Rodgers and Brandin Cooks were in head coach Mike Riley’s offense.
Another more recent comparison could be what senior wide out De’Mornay Pierson-El, now finally healthy, might have in store this year.
While Pierson-El is focused on making the most of his final college season, he said he’s also made it a point to take Lindsey under his wing and show him the ropes of what it takes to flourish at the Big Ten level.
Pierson-El even took the liberty of giving Lindsey a brand-new nickname as he enters the next phase of his football career.
“Slim Jim, he’s alright,” Pierson-El said. “He’s swimming in it a little bit, but he’s doing pretty well. He’s picking things up fast and asking a lot of questions. He’s asking good questions, actually. ‘Why do you do this? Why do you do that?’ And how to set up this? He coming along pretty fast.
“Me and Tyjon play the same spot, so he’s just always asking questions. Whenever something is going on he’s always close by and asking questions.”