Gophers receiver Cristian Driver carries father’s NFL tutelage into his own budding career

Cristian Driver is a bit superstitious when it comes to pregame preparation. To get his mind in the right place, the Gophers sophomore wide receiver will watch highlights of one of his favorites who plays the position.

Jerry Rice? Randy Moss? Justin Jefferson?

Nope. Driver draws inspiration from his father, Donald, who spent his entire 14-year NFL career as a receiver for the Green Bay Packers. Now the younger Driver, a transfer from Penn State, is starting to make his mark on the college program on the west side of the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.

“It always just gives me some type of boost, just watching him and how he ran his routes and how he played,” Cristian said of the pregame film sessions. “I just try to simulate my game off him.”

That’s not a bad plan, considering Donald Driver caught 743 passes for 10,137 yards and 61 touchdowns in an NFL career that included three Pro Bowl appearances.

Cristian Driver’s career is in its infancy, in comparison, as he continues the transition from defensive back at Penn State during the 2022 season to receiver with the Nittany Lions last year and now with Minnesota. He’ll play his third game with the Gophers at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against Nevada at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Driver has caught the attention of Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr., who got the ball in Driver’s hands via a 5-yard sweep and a 1-yard reception in the season opener against North Carolina. Last week, Driver caught his first career touchdown pass and finished with two receptions for 26 yards against Rhode Island.

“We use him all the time in the motion game,” Harbaugh said. “We just have to continue to develop him and continue to get better every day.”

Driver’s effectiveness on a motion play was on display during his TD catch. Set in motion to the right, the 6-foot, 190-pounder hauled in a short pass from quarterback Max Brosmer and outraced a Rhode Island defender to the front right corner of the end zone, making it 24-0 in the third quarter.

“It was perfect play design by Coach Harbaugh and Coach [Matt] Simon, our receivers coach,” Driver said. “Just getting the ball in open space helped lead us to that touchdown.”

A sign that Driver still is a work in progress was apparent late in the first half when Brosmer hit him in stride in the end zone, but the ball caromed off his fingertips. Harbaugh sees Driver working through those frustrations.

“Cristian has done an excellent job of going through the ups and downs of learning the offense, going through times when maybe he was dropping a few balls during spring ball, dropping a few balls during the summer,” Harbaugh said. “He’s attacked the football in practice. He’s attacked football in games. … We talked about [the dropped pass] right after the play on the sideline. He’s going to make that play.”

Driver played both safety and receiver at Liberty Christian High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Argyle, Texas. He was a four-star recruit and the No. 31-ranked safety nationally by 247Sports in the 2022 recruiting class. Driver had his pick of blue blood programs, but Penn State had a hook: Nittany Lions coach James Franklin was Donald Driver’s receivers coach with the Packers in 2005.

“I’ve kind of known Coach Franklin my whole life,” Cristian said. “I always felt comfortable being in his presence, and I think that’s what really caught my attention at the very beginning.”

Driver spent the 2022 season at Penn State as a redshirt, appearing in four games as a cornerback. He didn’t feel comfortable at that position and moved to receiver before the 2023 season. He saw action in six games, mainly on special teams, and finished with one reception before entering the transfer portal in early December.

“If I wasn’t going to be able to play safety, receiver felt most comfortable for me, especially getting all the knowledge that I have from my father,” Driver said.

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck and his staff identified Driver as a possible fit and were sold on him when they met the Driver family.

“I was really impressed with him and his family about what they were actually looking for,” Fleck said. “They were looking for opportunity — not only to grow on the field but off the field, too. They’re looking for a life program and a legitimate chance for him to develop and be coached into the best wide receiver he can become.”

Driver joined the program about a month after Brosmer, the former standout at New Hampshire, decided that Minnesota would be his destination for one last season. What struck the quarterback upon getting to know Driver was the wideout’s desire.

“The first thing that I’ve seen from him is his extreme want to get better,” Brosmer said. “He’s got the will.”

Driver believes he has found the right place where he can develop as a receiver and person.

“I just felt like this was the best fit for me,” he said. “And I feel like I fit in great with all the standards and the way that Coach Fleck carries the program.”