That's Coach Dorsey to You

LAKEWOOD RANCH — This time last year, Lakewood Ranch’s coaches were unsure about Reggie Lindsey.

Or to be more specific, they were unsure if he could handle the rigors of life as a varsity quarterback.

Now, there’s little doubt. The lanky Lindsey, a junior, will be under center Friday when the Mustangs head to Sarasota for a Kickoff Classic. And he’ll be there, too, for the remainder of the fall, fronting a passing game that Lakewood Ranch hopes will help resurrect the program following last year’s 1-9 mark.

“We knew that he had the physical tools to do it,” coach Shawn Trent said. “Starting a sophomore quarterback is not always what you want to be doing, playing the teams that we have to play. But he did a great job. Every week, he got better. We’re pretty confident in the fact that he’s going to do what we’re going to need him to do.”

Lindsey took over the reins midway through last season, throwing for 675 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. He enters the fall with a lot more experience, as well as a boost from a member of Lakewood Ranch’s revamped coaching staff — Ken Dorsey.

Dorsey set myriad passing records at Miami and led the Hurricanes to the national title in 2001 — the same year he won the Maxwell Award and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. Now, he’s coaching the Mustangs’ quarterbacks.

“I used to look up to him, and I used to want to be just like him when I was little,” Lindsey said. “We come out and work hard, but it’s still a privilege to be with him and him teaching us.”

Having a guy on board such as Dorsey, who spent time in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns, hasn’t changed the Mustangs’ scheme too much, Trent said. That said, his words, as well as those of assistants Anthony Littlejohn (Mississippi State) and James Williams (FIU), who also played Division I football, carry weight with the players.

“How many kids in high school learn from NFL quarterbacks?” Stevens said, “(Dorsey) also has to realize there’s a lot of things they’re not capable of doing. The hardest thing of being in the NFL is the simple fact that you have to dumb some stuff down.”



(bradenton.com)