BOULDER — When J.T. Shrout went down with a non-contact knee injury, Colorado was left with three quarterbacks on the roster, all of whom are freshmen.
That left a question: Who is Colorado’s emergency quarterback?
“I assume I’d be the first one they’d reach out to,” senior Matt Lynch told DNVR on Tuesday.
Lynch, a native of Colorado, began his collegiate career as a quarterback at UCLA. But when Chip Kelly took over as head coach, his staff had new ideas about the quarterback position.
“They brought in their new quarterbacks and it kind of pushed me down the depth chart,” Lynch said. “I was like, ‘Hey, I would like to play wherever you’ll put me. I’m about it. Let’s do. it. I’ll give all of my effort.'”
Kelly moved Lynch to tight end and he played 46 offensive snaps as the third-stringer in 2019, on top of extensive special teams work. Then, before the 2020 season, Lynch came home to Boulder as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility. Thanks to the pandemic, Lynch gets to play the 2021 season for Colorado, too.
“I’ve got the structure down, the basics down, now it’s working on advantages with techniques and increasing my knowledge as a tight end,” Lynch said. “From the quarterback standpoint you know defenses, you know how they line up, you know what they’re trying to do. It’s nice having that mindset as a tight end but then it’s just working on those little details.”
The details Lynch has been working on include creating more drive when blocking in the running game and bringing in more contested catches. It’s been harder to get work this time around, though, since Colorado has 10 tight ends on the roster, after having 12 in spring ball.
“It’s obviously a change from last year,” Lynch said. “Definitely not as many reps but you’ve just gotta take those mental reps. There’s plays that we install and you’re just not getting (reps), so you’ve just gotta be able to watch and remember and regurgitate. But we’ve got a good group of guys and we’re all working, we’re all competing.”
For what it’s worth, Lynch says he’s impressed by freshman Caleb Fauria’s growth since he arrived on campus.
“He’s going to be a talent for sure in the near future,” Lynch said.
But back to the point: As of now, Lynch is still a tight end despite being one of three players on Colorado’s roster that has attempted a pass in a college football game—the other two are Lewis and wide receiver Dimitri Stanley.
Head coach Karl Dorrell told reporters on Monday that his staff was figuring out what the emergency plan was at the quarterback position. According to Lynch, he hasn’t had a conversation with anybody on the staff about playing quarterback since Shrout went down with injury.
But he has to be the emergency plan, right?
The question, probably, is when he gets called into action. Would Dorrell rather play Lynch than Drew Carter, the current No. 2? I’d guess not. But Lynch may be ahead of walk-on freshman Jordan Woolverton.
Lynch isn’t chomping at the bit for a position change; he’ll do what’s needed.
“However I can help the team, I’m all about it,” Lynch said.
Despite not playing quarterback since 2018, Lynch thinks he could knock the rust off quickly.
“It would have to be those footwork drills, getting the arm back going, but I feel like I’ve still got a lot of those in me,” Lynch said. “If the situation did arise, I would be ready for it. Whatever I can do to help.”
While playing tight end is Lynch’s sole focus right now, he could be just a play or two away from a position change.
“Once a quarterback, always a quarterback,” Lynch said.
