Refocused and rejuvenated, Lindsey determined to live up to potential

There was a point back in January where Tyjon Lindsey was lying in a hospital bed questioning whether he still wanted to be a Nebraska Cornhusker.

After missing his entire senior high school season to injury and then putting together an underwhelming freshman campaign at NU, Lindsey’s luck got even worse when he was hospitalized for a full week with rhabdomyolysis - a potentially fatal condition he suffered during the first week of winter conditioning.

The former four-star recruit out of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman was already doubting if he had made the right choice coming to Lincoln even before his football career nearly came to a sudden end in his first few days with a new coaching staff.

As it turned out, though, that scary week in the hospital was exactly what Lindsey needed to realize he was in exactly the right place.

“It took a lot of buying in, because me being in the hospital, I felt like (Nebraska’s coaches) didn’t know what they were doing,” Lindsey said. “They just told me, ‘Trust the process, trust the process.’ And I just sat in the hospital thinking this might be a major setback for a comeback. But I bought into it…

"I love the strength and conditioning coaches, especially Coach (Zach) Duval. He’s always there for me, not only for my physical health, but for my mental health.”

It wasn’t just Duval who immediately reached out to Lindsey. New head coach Scott Frost and offensive coordinator/receivers coach Troy Walters did all they could to help Lindsey through his recovery, and that did more in building a bridge of trust than they ever could have imagined.

“Scott Frost called me instantly and just said, ‘If you’re going through anything just let me know,’” Lindsey said. “Troy Walters, he noticed it instantly because I’m always in his office, and he talks to me every day. We talk about life.

“I have a lot of trust issues, so with him being a new coach and all that, it took me a while to get comfortable with him. But when I realized he was really trying to be in my life and be that guy who would help me mentally, I knew I could tell him whatever I needed to and it helped me feel loved.

"These guys are really here to help us not only on the field, but off the field.”

By the time Lindsey was finally released from the hospital, he had lost 20 pounds off of his already slight frame.

But because of the relationships he was able to build with his new coaches during his ordeal, Lindsey returned to NU’s winter strength and conditioning program full-speed ahead.

He’s now replaced 10 pounds of self-described bad weight with 10 pounds of lean muscle, and he’s cut his body fat down about five percent.

Now he feels healthier and more explosive than he has in years, and it’s showing each time he takes the practice field this spring.

“I’m very excited about Tyjon,” Walters said. “He really fits what we’re trying to do. He’s versatile, so he can play in the slot, he can play outside, he can play running back; he’s dynamic, he’s got great football IQ, so he kind of understands how to run routes, how to get open, how to utilize his size to his advantage.

“He’s going to be a weapon in this offense. He’s just got to keep growing and keep learning and stay disciplined, and the sky’s the limit for him.”

Lindsey admits he is a very private person, at times almost to a fault. Though he quickly developed trust the Huskers’ new staff, he heavily relied on the friendships he’d made with his teammates. That bond became especially important following the departure of former NU receivers’ coach Keith Williams.

Lindsey might not have a bigger mentor on the team than senior wide receiver Stanley Morgan Jr., and he said it didn’t take them long to agree that finishing the job at Nebraska was the only option.

“Our final decision was just, we’re all brothers, why would we all separate from each other?” Lindsey said. “Why don’t we just try to bring the tradition back to Nebraska football? Like, we’re already here, we signed up for it, why not just follow through with it? Just because we lost somebody doesn’t mean we can’t build off of each other.”

As if all of that weren't enough to cement Lindsey as a Husker, the advice from a former Oregon Duck standout officially sealed the deal.

From the day they met at Nike’s The Opening camp prior to his junior year of high school, Lindsey has built a close friendship with former UO star and current Kansas City Chiefs receiver De’Anthony Thomas.

Thomas shined under the tutelage of Frost, who was his receivers coach at Oregon for two seasons and then his offensive coordinator during his breakout year in 2013. As soon as Thomas learned Frost was coming to Lincoln, he told Lindsey he had to stick it out.

“The first thing he said was, ‘Trust me. Trust me. Scott Frost is the guy… Just trust the process and stay focused, wait until the spring and see how it’s going,’” Lindsey said. “I didn’t even have to wait until spring, because (the staff) became very impactful in my life right then and there. When I was going through things, they would be there for me like no other.”

Lindsey may have had a brief moment of indecision about his future, but he couldn’t be any more solid in his commitment to Nebraska than he is right now.

A player who had offers from countless Power Five programs and who was regarded as one of the most electric prospects in the 2017 class, Lindsey admits that he needed to be humbled in order to gain a proper perspective of his situation.

With a renewed focus and a complete buy-in with his new coaching staff, Lindsey is determined to turn all of his recent setbacks into fuel for a limitless future.

“What I learned is it’s not given to you,” Lindsey said. “When I came here, I was one of the most highly-recruited players here, and my freshman year I kind of let myself settle. I let it get to me…

“All last year, I’m going to be honest, my mind wasn’t as right as it was back in high school, and reality smacked me in my face. This year, my mindset has changed. I’m doing a lot of things to not only get better on the field, but get myself mentally strong.

“I’m just trying to be ready. Last year I wasn’t… Now it’s a new me, and we’ll see where it takes me.”