Meet Jonathan Dwyer, unannounced Heisman candidate
Pretty good ballplayer right here. As good as C.J. Spiller. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
Theoretically, every collegiate football player in the land is “a Heisman Trophy candidate.” But we tend to attach that label to a player only when the player’s school first attaches it. And Georgia Tech, being practiced in the lost art of understatement, hasn’t gone wild over Jonathan Dwyer just yet.
He’s billed on the cover of Tech’s media guide not as an “HTC” but as something a tad more tangible — the ACC player of the year. Which he was in 2008, and which he was just voted by the league’s media, assembled in Greensboro, N.C., to be again this season. And that if that doesn’t make someone an HTC … well, my name’s not George P. Burdell.
In Sporting News Today, Matt Crossman noted that Dwyer met the media in Greensboro from the seat “previously occupied by C.J. Spiller, the blazing-fast Clemson running back. Clemson brought with it life-sized posters of Spiller to hype his Heisman candidacy, a perfectly valid endeavor. But Dwyer will thrust himself into that conversation before long.”
Before long? Spiller rushed and caught passes for 1,065 total yards in 2008. Dwyer’s total yardage last season — 1,604. I’d say he’s there already. (Clemson, as we know, has never been shy about tooting its players’ horns. This is the school that, in 1982, sent out cereal boxes boosting Terry “Special K” Kinard.)
Loading ...Dwyer might get cast as “a system back,” but he’s no more a product of Paul Johnson’s system than Tim Tebow is of Urban Meyer’s. They’re both tremendous college players. And I’m not suggesting Dwyer is going to win the Heisman — quarterbacks always have the inherent edge, and there are two previous winners (Tebow and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford) still playing as amateurs — but I will say this:
If Jonny Dwyer — that’s what Paul Johnson calls him — doesn’t finish in the top five, I’ll be surprised. And if C.J. Spiller finishes ahead of him, I’ll sit myself down and eat a bowl of Special K.
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218 comments Add your comment
Justafan
July 28th, 2009
10:15 am
To dawgexlax-Play in your own yard puppy. We don’t need your crap on ours.
Benjamin
July 28th, 2009
10:16 am
And Bank Walker, you’re going to be pleasantly (or perhaps unpleasantly?) surprised by Dabo. The man has been very successful as an assistant in two different programs, and has both a sharp football mind and the ability to lead his players. Sweeney’s a good coach.
CFBFan
July 28th, 2009
10:17 am
Tech has lost 7 of 8 to UGA, why is there even a debate about who is better?
DawginLex
July 28th, 2009
10:17 am
Wrong answer bank walker.
The correct answer is m’s hero. CHAN GOMER GAILEY.
Who consistently had higher rated recruiting class than what your current coach will get.
Phil McCrotch
July 28th, 2009
10:17 am
We go and play a ranked team on the road who is opening a brand new stadium against us on national TV. You play Jacksonville state.
….and your point is? or is this just the beginning of the excuses.
Benjamin
July 28th, 2009
10:18 am
Because it’s 2009, CFBFan. The Red Sox lost to the Yankees for a near century, but they were better in 2004 and 2007-2008. And that’s coming from a Dawg fan.
militarydawgindc
July 28th, 2009
10:20 am
dwyer will never win the heisman as long as mr tebow is at flarda, and mr bradford is at okrahoma
CFBFan
July 28th, 2009
10:22 am
Benjamin-
I understand that but the one thing that makes UGA fans feel awful is how they’ve lost SO many games to Florida over the years. That one victory in 2007 was amazing, but in the long run it didn’t mean much. Same with Tech, sure they beat an injury plagued, unprepared UGA team in 2008, but who cares? No one thinks of Tech when they think of football in the state of Georgia. They think of the dawgs, period.
Huh?
July 28th, 2009
10:22 am
Mark, you’ve said yourself that Georgia Tech is going 10-2 this year. I think that answers your question about whether Dwyer is a legit Heisman trophy candidate. Heisman trophy candidates do not come from 10-2 ACC teams. The crybaby Techies will kick, scream, and moan, but it is the truth. Sure, Tebow won it while quarterbacking a 9-4 team, but Tebow plays for Florida. They were the defending national champions at the time, not the defending Chicken Bowl runner ups. I’m not saying its fair because I think Dwyer is a great player. He just plays for a not so great football program. A Heisman is a total pipe dream. This is all very much a true story. Have yourselves a wonderful day.
DawginLex
July 28th, 2009
10:22 am
Now that I have made this otherwise dull GT blog a rousing success, I will depart.
As a parting comment, I will acknowledge your current coach is not bad. After all, ERK trained him.
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
July 28th, 2009
10:23 am
I could have swore that UGA recruited Dwyer. Are you sure dawginlex or did you just not write the question correctly?
militarydawgindc
July 28th, 2009
10:26 am
Mark
you are wrong again. The LSU D swarmed tech. The tigers controlled by Lines of scrimmage the entire game. Tech tried to get cute and pass some down field. The game was over before it started. LSU had a month to prepare for the peewee league option attack. The reason LSU won was because of their assignment football and speed. The same reason UGA will smash tech this year. Your blatant hate for UGA is obvious. You are always wrong on your picks. Phil Steele is much more accurate and worth paying to read than your senseless drivel on this site. I’m still get a chuckle at your braves predictions last year..man you were way off, as usual…Go Dawgs !
militarydawgindc
July 28th, 2009
10:28 am
mark’s
prognistications are based on emotion rather than logic….he’ll be wrong again this year…
Go Dawgs !
MyWhiskeyClear
July 28th, 2009
10:28 am
I don’t care if Dwyer gets the Heisman. I don’t care if he gets any awards, really. The only trophies Tech needs come with letters like A-C-C and B-C-S. There’s a smaller one with the Governer’s signature that will already be in our trophy case more often in the next few years. Now that that monkey is off our backs it’s time to hunt Titles. Division. Conference. Bowls. Crystal Balls. This year the crosshairs are afixed not on any Dawgs but instead on that ridiculous orange turkey.
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
July 28th, 2009
10:28 am
Yep I just checked Rivals web site and Georgia offered Dwyer a scholarship. The great coach Mike Bobo was his recruiter. Also, Muschamp recruited for Auburn. http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=46903&sport=1
Benjamin
July 28th, 2009
10:28 am
CFB, I agree with you 100 percent when you say people think about UGA when it comes to football in the state of Georgia, but as a Dawg fan, I still have to give credit to the work Johnson’s doing in Atlanta, and while this is possibly going to be a season of rebuilding for my red and black in Athens, Tech is riding as high as they can ride right now.
I knew immediately when they hired the new coach that they were going to be forces to contend with, because Johnson’s already done some special things at Georgia Southern and Navy (of all places). Tech is on their way up.
UGA is still the face of Georgia football, but I’m afraid that they’re going to be the second best team in the state a second straight year this year. (And that’s okay — we’re young, and very talented, with a guy I have tremendous respect for leading the way. We’ll be back on top soon enough, in my opinion.)
JoeV
July 28th, 2009
10:29 am
Dwyer had 40 something more carries than Spiller last year and was a feature back while Spiller shared duties. lol. Dwyer.
GT Rich
July 28th, 2009
10:29 am
Three things have to happen for Dwyer to be a finalist:
1) huge games on Sept 10 and 17, both are national broadcasts on Thursday nights. 150+ yd performances in those big games would get him early season hype and be added to EVERYone’s watch list.
2) 2000 all purpose yards
3) the team needs to go 12-1, which includes winning the ACC championship.
Doubter
July 28th, 2009
10:30 am
With Tech’s Offensive system:
1. No one will never win the Heisman.
2.Tech will never win a NC.
3.Will never beat GA 2 yrs. in a row.
DawginLex
July 28th, 2009
10:31 am
Bank walker,
Gailey SIGNED him. That was my point.
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
July 28th, 2009
10:32 am
Ah note to idiots, this is not a GT blog DawginLex, this is M B’s blog.
MyWhiskeyClear
July 28th, 2009
10:33 am
Doubter, that looks more like a wish list than any kind of realistic predictions.
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
July 28th, 2009
10:34 am
Gailey got lucky, actually he wasn’t a bad recruiter just a bad coach. UGA’s going to miss him. At least PJ will make UGA’s schedule look a little better.
Lance
July 28th, 2009
10:36 am
((((7-1)))) Hahahahahahaha
BankerDawg
July 28th, 2009
10:36 am
Yes, we recruited Dwyer.
Anyone claiming otherwise is either suffering selective amnesia or is a practicing revisionist historian….or just doesn’t know any better.
Halberstram
July 28th, 2009
10:39 am
Dwyer should definitely be considered a heisman candidate. He had a breakout year last year in winning the ACC Player of the Year. He should be in the discussion at the start of the year, it’s up to him to put up the stats to remain in the discussion.
DawginLex
July 28th, 2009
10:43 am
A MB blog with GT for a topic. Without the UGA folks on any of the Tech topic blogs, the blogs shut down within 20 minutes because of a lack of comments.
CFBFan
July 28th, 2009
10:44 am
Benjamin-
I agree with you that Tech may be perceived as the best preseason team THIS year, but overall, its all about the Dawgs. Plus, I think once the season starts and Tech drops a couple early on while UGA is beating teams like OK State, UGA will quickly leap Tech in the rankings.
One thing you said is true, Paul Johnson seems to have things running well in Atlanta, but his system has flaws and now that the honey moon phase is over, it’s time for teams to dominate Tech’s high school offense once again (much like LSU did in the Chickfila bowl).
Great to see Tech up there for now, but it won’t last. UGA has a tradition of winning established, and even in a rebuilding year they are bound to win 9 or 10 games.
Mac
July 28th, 2009
10:49 am
And, the thing about it is, Roddy Jones is just as good.
handshandy man
July 28th, 2009
10:50 am
Hey Doubter, Noone will NEVER?? I smell a double negative.
Meet Jonathan Dwyer, unannounced Heisman candidate | Mark Bradley | College Sports Nation
July 28th, 2009
10:51 am
[...] more here: Meet Jonathan Dwyer, unannounced Heisman candidate | Mark Bradley addthis_url = [...]
Try selling out a 55,000 seat stadium......
July 28th, 2009
10:53 am
Get it in your heads people!!!!!! Tech is coming off one of the WORST and most EMBARASSING loses in their history!!! WHY all the hype surrounding the nerds?? Because they beat a struggling UGA team by 3 in the rain, due in most part by careless UGA turnovers. That same team also lost miserably to North Carolina anda weak Boston College…. The “Triple Option” High School offense has been exposed!! Tech goes 7-5, and plays a bowl game somewhere between December 25th and December 30th. CHUMPS!!!
Dawg Foot
July 28th, 2009
10:55 am
I don’t want to meet him. I heard he is a drunk.
GT FAN PA
July 28th, 2009
10:56 am
Folks- this is why the games are played on the grid iron- everyone can could of, should of, would of, all they want- you can say LSU did this, injuries here and this person is back healthy automatically makes us contenders- well not until you play the game-We can all make the excuses-bottom line you come out and excute- CPJ is a no non-sense kinda of person and that will carry over to the team.
Huntsville Yellow Jacket
July 28th, 2009
10:58 am
Mark,
As you get older, you probably should be eating more Special K. That or Fiber One.
K Michael Hall
July 28th, 2009
11:00 am
Guys, let’s not get carried away on bashing CJ Spiller. He’s pretty good.
Benjamin
July 28th, 2009
11:02 am
Time will tell, CFB. I really think you’re undervaluing the Jackets, to be honest.
As Bradley and others said, the LSU game wasn’t lost by that offense. That game was lost in the first half by special teams.
Benjamin
July 28th, 2009
11:03 am
Spiller’s main problem has nothing to do with his own abilities, but the line that’s charged with blocking for him.
Big Ed
July 28th, 2009
11:03 am
The only thing an upgraded UGA schedule will mean is more losses. After a 7-5 season this year and the call for Richt to be fired, the upgraded schedule quickly revert back to the cupcakes of old.
Tech82
July 28th, 2009
11:03 am
DawginLex – Pull on a pair of big girl panties and deal with the personal attacks. After all, it was you who decided to come on here and start talking smack with the Tech fans. Now, stop crying and go finish your housework.
DawginLex
July 28th, 2009
11:08 am
Tech82,
My point is with that fine Tech education you all brag about, why do you have to resort to personal attacks?
answer: Because the GT education doesn’t include courses in tact, class and character.
Housework? That’s equal to me using D&D instead of WOW to insult GT folks. You can do better hopefully.
Gerald Ball
July 28th, 2009
11:16 am
So, Georgia Tech lost to a much more talented LSU in the Peach Bowl in Paul Johnson’s first year running an offense that takes at least three years to teach and recruit personnel for. Big deal. Last year was Mark Richt’s 8th at UGA, he had the #1, #12, and #50 picks in the NFL draft at QB, RB, and WR (not to mention A.J. Green and a slew of talented TEs that weren’t even utilized until the 2nd half of the bowl game against MICHIGAN STATE which you were in great jeopardy of losing because a much less talented Michigan State team outcoached UGA on both sides of the ball!) and you got crushed by Florida, humiliated AT HOME by Alabama, and lost to Georgia Tech!
Georgia Tech has real reasons to think that they are going to be better in 2009 when Chan Gailey’s recruits for whatever offense it was that he was running have better assimilated the system and will actually be able to run the triple option (last year Tech might have actually run the triple option maybe 5 or 10 times all year, they were barely able to manage the double option, and most of the time it was just handing off to Dwyer or Josh Nesbitt running draw plays), and much better in 2010 when Nesbitt and Dwyer will be seniors (that is, assuming Dwyer doesn’t come out early this year, which is a real possibility) and 75% of Tech’s depth chart will be guys recruited for Paul Johnson’s system.
Now as to Chan Gailey being a better recruiter than Paul Johnson: my goodness Johnson is in his second year. Gailey started off getting two star recruits, and it took years for Gailey to start getting 4 star recruits like Nesbitt and Dwyer, plus a lot of those guys were recruited by Patrick Nix, who was a great recruiter but a horrible coach. There isn’t a single Georgia Tech fan in the world who thinks that the couple of 4 star recruits that Nix brought in a year were worth having an offensive coordinator that had Calvin Johnson for 3 years and wouldn’t throw the ball downfield, or having a running QB in Reggie Ball for 4 years and not running any spread or option.
Another thing: Johnson is recruiting option personnel, and Gailey was recruiting passing game personnel. If you look at the recruiting rankings, passing game personnel will always be more highly ranked than the option guys. But a lot of those 4 star recruits that Gailey recruited for the passing game weren’t any good. Take that much hyped QB that Gailey recruited: Threat. Who did he have in his final two? Tech and Arizona State. Wow. He couldn’t cut it at Tech, he couldn’t cut it at Michigan, and now he is at his third school. By contrast, Pat White, the guy who dominated for 4 years at West Virginia (including that bowl game against UGA) was a 3 star recruit that none of the SEC schools invested much time in recruiting. So, Georgia Tech will be going after the Pat Whites while UGA will be getting the 4 and 5 star recruits that are never heard from again.
By the way, I think that you are underestimating Georgia Tech’s recruiting this year. They have 9 commits, 4 of them are 4 star and 5 of them are 3 star. In 2006, the alleged super recruiter Gailey only signed a single 4 star recruit (the bust Jamaal Evans), 9 three star recruits, and 6 two star recruits. In 2005, Tech signed 7 three star recruits and 12 two star recruits. Recruiting classes like 2007 (8 four star recruits, 10 three star recruits) were the exception, not the rule.
And Johnson isn’t doing that badly. 2008 doesn’t count … you know how things go when a coach is fired and another coach comes in, and Tech took a long time to hire Johnson because they really wanted either Edsall of UConn or a big name. But look at 2009. A four star recruit and 17 three star recruits. Laugh at the three 2 star recruits if you will, but they are LBs and safeties that run 4.5. And the lone 4 star recruit in the class is a 335 lb. run stuffing NT that will likely play as a true freshman to help replace some of the defensive linemen that Tech lost to the NFL. And Tech has a 280 lb. 4 star DT already in this class.
What I like best is that while UGA is now trying to be a “national program”, Tech is working on building ties in Georgia. If Tech strings together a bunch of 9+ win seasons, it will pay off … guys like Mack Brown will start seeing Tech as a viable option to UGA. Tech already signed a guy that FSU wanted, something that was unthinkable 7 or 8 years ago.
So keep laughing UGA fans. There isn’t a lot of difference between a 10 win program that deludes itself into thinking that it is competing for more (UGA’s demanding to go to the BCS title game in 2007 when they didn’t even win the SEC East or beat a top 10 team all year, and the “preseason #1″ nonsense in 2008) and a 9 win program that knows it can’t be much better because they require ALL STUDENTS – including football players – to pass calculus. 10 wins a year with a bunch of guys who spend the offseason getting arrested versus 9 games a year with guys who actually belong at a major university as students. Hmmm … most Tech fans will choose the latter.
Required Reading by Hard Knox Sports
July 28th, 2009
11:17 am
[...] Homer Alert: The AJC’s Mark Bradley said he would be surprised if Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer doesn’t finish in the top five for the Hesiman Trophy. Mark, did you forget about Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, Jhavid Best, Jevan Snead and Dez Bryant? I love Georgia Tech this year and might pick them to win the ACC but Dwyer will not finish in the top five for the Heisman. [AJC] [...]
rick
July 28th, 2009
11:19 am
Dwyer wants a 14-0 season not a Heisman.
Jared
July 28th, 2009
11:23 am
Dwyer is actually held back by being a “system back.” If he were the feature back in a pro-style offense he would probably get 100 more carries per year. He never had more than 23 carries in a game last year and he had less than 15 carries 5 times last year. Now, his ypc would not be as high, but Dwyer is an 1,800 yard back in a pro-style offense. As it is now, he shares his carries with about 4 other players on a regular basis.
Spiller is a good player, but the hype around Clemson is always unbearable. Look at how their hype turned out last year.
Try selling out a 55,000 seat stadium......
July 28th, 2009
11:26 am
Just bought my $99 season ticket special for Bobby Dudd!!! This assures one less seat filled for every game since I refuse to go to any but the total whoopin’ that will be handed to the bugs on Nov 28th. JOKE OF A PROGRAM, JOKE OF A COACH, JOKE OF SO-CALLED FANS. TECH SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BG
July 28th, 2009
11:30 am
Funny!!!!!!!!!!!
macrotech
July 28th, 2009
11:31 am
DawginLex, i thought you said, “Now that I have made this otherwise dull GT blog a rousing success, I will depart”. You didn’t make this blog a ’success’…you just drooled all over the place. ANOTHER reason why bulldogs suck! Your words are as empty as your promises….why’d you come back?
CFBFan
July 28th, 2009
11:35 am
Benjamin-
Indeed, we shall see.
Stinger
July 28th, 2009
11:55 am
Anyone who thinks that they can stop this offense is delusional. LSU didn’t stop it. We simply did not come to play and beat ourselves. We would have beaten them 9 out of 10 games last year and would have beaten UGAY 10 out of 10. We own the SEC. Jonathan Dwyer will be the best back by far in this years college football and a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate with our explosive offense and a top 5 team Nationally. Tech will win the ACC and play in a BCS Bowl game and contend for the National Championship. The Kid from Virginia Tech who thinks that he has our offense figured out won’t know what hit him. His head will be swimming so fast during the first quarter that he won’t want to go back in the game. He will try to come over to our sideline and our coaches will tell him that he is on the wrong side of the field. He will say to our coaches, ” I can’t go over there, if I do they may put me back into the game.”