Back in his hometown, on a purple-accented football field where he led a state championship team, Drake Lindsey is putting in his work as the temperature in the heart of Arkansas Razorbacks country reaches 85 and the humidity creeps up, too.
Lindsey, who will be a Gophers redshirt freshman this season, is the only quarterback among a group of 10 players working out, and he tests his arm on a variety of routes to an eclectic group of targets. There’s Buffalo Bills tight end Zach Davidson. There’s Oklahoma wideout Isaiah Sategna, who was Lindsey’s teammate at Fayetteville High School. And there are others honing their skills, including local small college and prep standouts.
That Lindsey is back for a visit in Fayetteville and training at his high school rather than working out in the Razorbacks’ facilities is a departure from what a few years ago looked to be a Hollywood script in the making. After all, he led the Fayetteville Bulldogs to an undefeated state championship season, passing for 54 touchdowns and 3,941 yards as a senior in 2023. He was MVP of the state title game and was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Arkansas.
His family practically bleeds Razorbacks cardinal. His grandfather, Jim Lindsey, played for the Hogs’ 1964 national championship team, and his father, John David Lindsey, was a wide receiver for the Razorbacks for two seasons. An uncle, Lyndy Lindsey, was a tight end for Arkansas, and Drake’s cousin, Jack Lindsey, was a reserve quarterback for the Hogs from 2018-20. Drake’s sister, Loren, just finished her senior season on Arkansas’ women’s basketball team.
How wouldn’t he become a Razorback?
The Arkansas coaching staff, however, opted to recruit dual-threat quarterbacks rather than the 6-5, 230-pound Lindsey, a drop-back passer. The staff showed interest in Lindsey late in the recruiting cycle, but Gophers coach P.J. Fleck and offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. already had built tight bonds.
“He really just found a home in Minnesota,” said Casey Dick, Fayetteville High’s head coach. “The family atmosphere and what Coach Harbaugh and Coach Fleck put together for him and really made him feel at home was just something that was different.”
