Gardner Minshew originally committed to Alabama after deciding to transfer from East Carolina this past year. However, he decided against playing at Alabama and ultimately chose Washington State. Minshew started five games and appeared in ten for the East Carolina team throwing for 2,140 yards and 16 touchdowns. After graduating from East Carolina he decided to transfer and took an unofficial visit to Alabama after Mike Locksley reached out to him. But why did Alabama reach out to him? While Alabama has great quarterback depth and it was unsure if Minshew would have the opportunity to play Minshew thought Alabama would be a great place to prepare him for a coaching career. Being around Saban would allow him to get the first-hand experience from a legend in college football, however, this would benefit him as a potential coach not as a player.
With Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa as the top two quarterbacks on campus, Gardner Minshew decided to look elsewhere for an opportunity to be the starting quarterback. This led him to choose Washington State. In an interview with Sports Illustrated Minshew stated that Washington State gives him an opportunity to win the starting job and help him work towards his goal of playing in the NFL.
Washington State won Minshew over with the opportunity to have a chance to start but to also lead the country in passing. The past two Washington State quarterbacks: Connor Halliday finished his career with 11,308 passing yards and 90 touchdowns while Luke Falk finished with 14,481 yards and 119 touchdowns. Both are ranked in the top two for passing yards and touchdowns for Washington State and both hold numerous Pac-12 records.
Minshew calls the decision extremely tough but chose the best opportunity for him. He states how much respect he has for the Alabama staff including Coach Enos and Coach Saban but made the decision that was best suited for him. Playing at Washington State will allow Minshew to pursue his NFL dream before transitioning into coaching. Minshew still wants to go into coaching and after this upcoming season at Washington State, he hopes to have a shot down the road.
