From the Reno Gazette-Journal
By Chris Murray

All Wolf Pack quarterback Tyler Lantrip wants to do is take the test.

Whether he passes or fails will be determined every Saturday over the next three months. But at least he finally gets to put pen to paper.

The last time Lantrip started a game was Nov. 10, 2005 — exactly 2,110 days ago. Back then, he was a senior at Jesuit High School, which is just outside of Sacramento. A lot has changed since then.

He got married. He bought a house. He had a significant back surgery. He received his bachelor’s degree and is two courses away from getting his master’s. And, most of all, he has waited.

Serving as Colin Kaepernick’s backup since arriving in Reno, the 6-foot-4, strong-armed Lantrip has rarely gotten the chance to see the field.

He’s watched as Kaepernick shattered NCAA records and developed into an NFL quarterback. He’s stood on the sideline next to coach Chris Ault, sending signals to the offense. Now it’s Lantrip’s turn to be the star of the show.

“The whole process has been a hard, but humbling, process,” Lantrip said. “It’s like studying for a test every week, but not getting the chance to take the test. It’s tough to keep studying and keep working hard, but you never get to see the end result in a game. At times it’s been frustrating. But it’s certainly changed me in shape and given me a different perspective, and I appreciate this opportunity a lot more because of the wait.”

This opportunity is Lantrip’s one shot to be a college starting quarterback. The senior won’t get a do-over if the season turns out poorly. And his test will be tough, with games at No. 3 Oregon, No. 7 Boise State and Texas Tech early in the season.

But given how long he’s waited, Lantrip’s not complaining. He doesn’t think about “what could have been.” Lantrip, who calls himself an underdog, is getting his chance this season. And that’s all he’s ever wanted.

“Stuff hasn’t always fallen into place for me,” Lantrip said. “A lot of football and playing time is about being in the right position at the right time. I’ve always had an uphill battle with things and had to keep working. Sitting out for four years is obviously tough for anybody who feels like he can play at this level. You have your back to the wall, and you have to keep working and persevere through it. That’s what I’ve tried to do.”

Following a legend

Waiting isn’t new for Lantrip. As a high school player, he didn’t start until he was a senior. Longtime Jesuit High coach Dan Carmazzi rarely started juniors over seniors, so Lantrip had to sit and wait.

During his one season as Jesuit’s quarterback, he set school records in passing yards, total yards and completions for a program that has produced NFL quarterbacks Ken O’Brien, Gio Carmazzi and J.T. O’Sullivan.

Lantrip said having to wait for his shot in high school prepared him for his wait with the Wolf Pack.

“Not having gone through that, the wait here would have been a lot harder, and I would have had some tough decisions (about whether to transfer),” Lantrip said. “I think that, combined with my faith in God, really drove me to stay and be loyal to the program, as well as my respect for Coach Ault.”

Because Lantrip started only one season in high school, scholarship offers were few. He had greyshirt options with Northwestern, Arizona State and Stanford, but decided to walk on with the Wolf Pack because its quarterback, Jeff Rowe, was going to be a senior and the quarterback position appeared open.

But during his first season at Nevada, shortly after he earned a scholarship, Lantrip suffered a reoccurrence of a back injury – a stress fracture in his L-5 vertebrae — he first experienced in high school.

By the time he had surgery and was healthy, Kaepernick was on his way to winning the starting quarterback job, and Lantrip’s long wait began. Now, he has the task of replacing the player Ault calls the best in program history.

“The thing I try to do is just not put the pressure on myself to do what Kap did,” Lantrip said. “We have different styles. I try to look at my strengths and play to that. My strength is passing and the ability to execute the offense, so I focus on those things. Every offseason I work on running the ball and that’s a strength of our offense, but I also try to work on and fine-tune my passing ability, which I think is my best asset.”

Ault admits most coaches in his situation would opt for a younger starter and build for the future. But he said Lantrip has earned the right to lead the team.

“He’s paid his dues,” said Ault, who has never had a one-year quarterback in his 27-year head-coaching career. “I’ve seen Tyler for four years. I’m very comfortable with him in terms of being the guy to have the opportunity. Now, he’s never lined up and he’s never had to sustain drives. Certainly that’s going to be the benchmark. And he’s going to have to sustain drives on the road. There’s no greater challenge for a quarterback, but at the same time no greater opportunity.”

Finding a soulmate

It was Lantrip’s freshman year and he was living in Nye Hall, a dorm at UNR. His room was on the sixth floor. Elaina, his future wife, lived on the second.

It took Lantrip six months before he asked Elaina on a date. By his sophomore year, they were going out. A couple years later, they were married.

Lantrip’s mother, Gail, said the impact Elaina has had on her son is immeasurable.

“She’s had such a hugely positive impact on him,” Gail said. “He’s the type of guy who’s kind of lived for football. It’s been the dream on his heart for so long. But she’s been quick to say, ‘Football is not your life. There’s more than football.’ I think it’s really helped him keep things in perspective — ‘As much as you love the game, there’s more to life than football.’”

Gail Lantrip also credits Elaina, a pediatric nurse at Saint Mary’s who also got a degree in nuclear chemistry, for pushing Tyler academically. Lantrip graduated with a degree in finance and economics in 31/2 years and is on course to get his MBA in December.

Lantrip said his wife is one of the reasons he decided not to explore a transfer after falling behind Kaepernick on the depth chart. She also helped as he waited for his shot to start.

“His most difficult year was probably the one after having the back surgery,” Elaina said. “He was thinking, ‘Am I ever going to play again?’ He loves the game so much. But I think it gave him time to find his identity outside of sports. He’s such a well-rounded person, and he knew I was there for him and would love him whether he played football or not. Once he really discovered the fact that he could go on and be successful, whether he had football or not, I think that was a big step for him.”

Still, Lantrip’s love of football has been one of his chief drivers in life. His mother remembers a 2-year-old Tyler sitting on the living room floor hatching a game of catch.

“He would always have a ball in his hand and he would always want you to sit down and play catch,” Gail said. “He’d make you sit down right next to him so he could throw you the ball.”

Things haven’t really changed in that department.

“He enjoys playing so much,” Elaina said. “When we’re on vacation — we just went to Maui — he always has a football in his hands. We were on the beach and I asked him, ‘Do you want to lay out for a while?’ He’s, like, ‘No. Can we throw the football?’ Through and through, he truly does love the game.”

Getting his chance

Lantrip will go from passes on the beach to a much more hostile environment soon enough.

The Wolf Pack’s season opener is Sept. 10 at No. 3-ranked Oregon, which played for the national championship last season. A capacity crowd of 54,000 screaming Ducks fans is expected.

“I’m going to be excited,” Lantrip said. “I love that kind of atmosphere, and I’ve always been the underdog with people rooting against you, so it’s nothing new for me. I’m confident in these guys, and I know they’re hungry.”

Lantrip is one of a handful of Wolf Pack players who sat in the shadows of stars in recent years. Fellow offensive players like wide receiver Shane Anderson, running back Lampford Mark and tight end Zach Sudfeld also fit that mold and will be seniors this year. Through the long wait, they’ve developed a bond they hope guides them through the season.

“All summer we said, ‘This is our one shot,’” Anderson said. “We’ve always been the guys backing up the star. This is our one shot, this is our big chance and we have to give everything we’ve got. Tyler’s best thing is his work ethic. I was with him all summer. I know what he can do, I know how hard he’s worked and I know how badly he wants this. He’s capable of doing it. He’s a smart kid, he’s a talented kid and he really knows what he’s doing.”

Lantrip carries a quiet confidence into the season, partially because he’s spent four years preparing for this moment and partially because of his faith in God.

When Lantrip was 10 years old, he was sitting in the backseat of his parents’ car when he scribbled down the following phrase: “The desire of your heart leads to the destiny of your will.”

Gail said she looks at the writing, which hangs in the Lantrip home, and realizes that football was the desire of her son’s heart. Now, it is his destiny to lead the Wolf Pack.

After six years of waiting to be a starting quarterback again, Gail said she’s not surprised to see her son finally get the chance he’s waited so long for.

“I’m not surprised at all,” she said. “He lived and breathed being able to play and train because that’s his passion. He’s the type of kid that if he makes his mind up that he’s going to do something, he’s going to make sure it gets done. That’s his attitude toward everything. It’s his attitude toward school, it’s his attitude toward football and it’s his attitude toward this season.”