Justin Fuente started his head coaching stint with Memphis in 2012 with all the national fanfare one would expect of a rookie head coach taking over a struggling team in a non-power conference – that is to say, little to none. At the same time, Paxton Lynch began his collegiate career with even less attention – understandable for a relatively unknown quarterback who would be redshirted in his first year.
What a difference a little time makes.
By: Cory Burrell
Thanks in large part to Lynch’s ever-growing skills as a pro-style quarterback under Fuente’s tutelage, Memphis is now a potential playoff darling, boasting one of the best starts in school history. As each week passes, Lynch picks apart another opposing defense and strengthens his claim as one of the best quarterbacks – if not the best – to potentially throw his name into the 2016 NFL Draft.
Fuente and Lynch both came to Memphis at the same time. Prior to accepting the position at Memphis, Fuente was the quarterbacks coach for TCU. Despite his relative inexperience (he had only been the quarterbacks coach for three years), Fuente was starting to gain a reputation as a “quarterback whisperer.” His success working with Andy Dalton, now a quality starting quarterback in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals, made him an especially attractive hire for a Memphis team looking to recover from a two-year freefall under Larry Porter.
Meanwhile, Lynch, a lightly-touted high school recruit, dealt with a hectic recruiting period. He missed the first half of his final high school season with a bruised knee, which did not improve his stock in the eyes of college coaches. After an excellent showing at the Central Florida All-Star Game, several schools, including Florida for a period of time, believed Lynch had upside worthy of a scholarship. Eventually Florida pulled back and Lynch accepted an offer from Memphis to play and was redshirted in 2012.
Memphis went 4-8 in Fuente’s debut season – still a far cry from even a .500 record, but already Fuente had more wins in a single season than his predecessor had in two. In 2013, Fuente made a daring move to start Lynch over senior Jacob Karam. Karam, a transfer from Texas Tech, had a solid (if unspectacular) 2012 campaign, throwing for 1,895 yards and 14 touchdowns against just three interceptions. Lynch’s early struggles did little to solidify his position as starter in the eyes of fans and analysts. Memphis started that year 1-6. During this stretch, Lynch threw for five touchdowns against six interceptions.
Rather than yanking Lynch, Fuente remained patient with the quarterback he recruited and picked to be the program’s future. Fuente’s patience gave Lynch the chance to grow under pressure – a chance Lynch was extremely grateful for, as he later told Sports Illustrated.
“I feel like if you don’t get tested with what you love, you’ll never know how bad you really want to do it,” Lynch said. “How bad do I want to be good? How bad to I want to succeed? How bad do I really want this?”
Lynch rewarded Fuente’s trust with a stellar sophomore season. Lynch increased his production exponentially; Lynch threw for 22 touchdowns and added 13 more on the ground, compared to his previous season’s total of nine passing touchdowns and two rushing scores. He also threw for nearly 1,000 more yards than 2013 (he finished 2013 with 3,031 passing yards) with much-improved accuracy.
Lynch’s startling jump propelled the Tigers to new heights, including the first 10-win season in school history and an appearance in the AP top 25 rankings, only the second time ever for the Tigers. Lynch’s continual improvement was capped off with a performance that sealed the team’s first bowl win since 2005. Against BYU, Lynch threw for more than 300 yards along with four touchdowns and ran for another 3 scores(albeit against 3 interceptions).
After his breakout sophomore season, Lynch began to gather attention as a player to watch among potential 2016 NFL draftees. His strong arm, stalwart frame (6’6”, 245 lbs.), and excellent throwing motions all gave scouts very good reasons to look at the junior. Underdog Dynasty compared Lynch very favorable to Fuente’s previous quarterback project, Andy Dalton: Lynch and Dalton had almost identical freshman season, but Lynch’s numbers as a sophomore easily eclipsed Dalton’s in almost every category.
Since this season has started, Lynch has gained even more hype as a potential first-round draft pick – hype well-deserved in light of Lynch’s play. In Memphis’ 6-0 start to the season, Lynch has totaled 300 passing yards in all but one game (a blowout season opener against Missouri State where Lynch played limited minutes). He has thrown for at least one touchdown in every game he has played. His completion percentage in a video game-esque 70.3%, third-best in the country.
Even the one area of somewhat concern for Lynch, turnovers, seems to be improving; it was not until last week, against then-13th-ranked Ole Miss, that Lynch threw his first interception. Lynch still led the Tigers over the Rebels in a shocking upset. The upset gave the Tigers the 18th spot in the AP rankings, the highest ranking ever held by the Tigers in school history.
If Lynch keeps up his scorching pace, there are few limits to what he can achieve this season and beyond. He will with almost no doubt end up as one of the greatest quarterbacks in school history. An undefeated record and big victories over the likes of Ole Miss and Bowling Green have easily put the junior into Heisman contention. Should he choose to declare for the NFL draft after this season, Lynch could quickly leap ahead as not only a first-round draft pick, but one of the first quarterback taken in the 2016 NFL draft, as Optimum Scouting’s Eric Galko predicted earlier this week.
While many fans, scouts, and coaches clamor for immediate results on the field, Lynch and Fuente have proven patience, solid coaching, and a willingness to learn under fire can have a major impact in developing collegiate stars and blue chip NFL prospects. Expect Lynch to continue to push the Tigers to dizzying heights before he takes off for what looks to be a very bright NFL future.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
