CHICAGO — There generally isn’t a lot of specific talk about incoming freshman at Big Ten Media Days because there are so few that will make an impact on the field right away, and to this point in summer workouts, coaches haven’t been able to work with them much.
So when Mike Riley was asked about freshman that intrigued him heading into fall camp, his answer was pretty telling.
“Right off the top, if he’s healthy, Avery Roberts will be a guy. Now he had the benefit as a true freshman to be here at mid-year but that’s a good thing. From what I know about and what I saw of Tyjon Lindsey in the offseason program, with his ability we’ve got to push him and coach him hard and try in every way to get him comfortable to play. Whatever that means, with packaging, we’ve got to get Tyjon involved in some fashion.”
Some fashion could include special teams play as well for the freshman wide receiver.
“Yeah, he could return. The punt return thing is hard these days,” Riley said. “The advent of the rugby punt and shield punt has dramatically changed the numbers in time and it’s an interesting deal and story in college football. Tyjon Lindsey is a natural. He can go back there and catch punts right now like he’s been doing it forever.”
If that wasn’t enough to make you think the speedy 4-star wide receiver will figure into the Huskers’ plans in 2017, quarterback Tanner Lee spoke about Tyjon being one of the fastest if not the fastest player on the team. Also, Lee said he was impressed with another true freshman wide receiver, Jaevon McQuitty.
For an event that doesn’t tend to produce a lot of love for freshmen, Lindsey certainly got a good amount. It would be wise to keep an eye out for No. 1.
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.