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
serious
July 28th, 2009
3:57 pm
what’s wrong Funny? Did you realize that Huh? is spot on? That’s what I thought.
Grubb
July 28th, 2009
4:06 pm
Tech75,
You said, “All other things being equal, how do you scheme against this? I don’t think you can.”
That’s not quite true. This is the offense most teams ran in the 70s & 80s, and teams stopped it all the time.
I’m just glad we play you guys early. This gives Clemson plenty of time to prepare; that’s better than only having 6 days. Hopefully neither Spiller nor Dwyer will get hurt at all this year, but especially not before they meet. It’ll be nice to see both backs in the same game.
Funny
July 28th, 2009
4:10 pm
Serious…that is funny!
Steaming LogInLex
July 28th, 2009
4:14 pm
Grubb, seriously, haven’t the last 4-5 years of Clemson football disappointments taught you to keep your mouth shut in the preseason? Especially with a coach named Dabo.
Grubb
July 28th, 2009
4:45 pm
Steaming LogInLex,
I’ve always had a great deal of respect for GT and their fans. Apparently you’re trying to change that.
That we’ve been beat at a 2-1 ratio is bad for us. That we’re 13-13 against you since GT joined the ACC in ‘83 (aka the Modern Era of college football) is good for us. Plus, if you did your homework, you’d know that every game between 1907 and 1974 was played in Atlanta. That’s a huge advantage for GT…and not very fair, I might add. GT is 40-13-2 at home. Clemson is 9-5 at home.
The 2 teams are dead even in the Modern Era; anything beyond that just doesn’t matter.
And Spiller is better than Dwyer.
Grubb
July 28th, 2009
4:56 pm
Grubb, seriously, haven’t the last 4-5 years of Clemson football disappointments taught you to keep your mouth shut in the preseason?
Last 4 or 5 years??? Dude, try the last 16 years.
First of all, I don’t think I’ve been bragging. I’ve been offering an explaination for why Spiller hasn’t had better numbers and a defense for why Clemson has been as good as GT in the modern era. I even said I thought it will be fun to see Dwyer & Spiller in the same game and hope neither gets hurt all season.
What about that is bragadocious? What about that is declairing we’re the greatest, and we’re going to win it all?
As I reread my comments, I believe they’ve been very kindly and not boastful whatsoever? Are you suggesting I stop talking about football just because my team hasn’t lived up to their potential? That would make me a fair weathered fan, and that doesn’t seem right either.
And really? Making fun of a guy because of his name? Did you make fun of Chan because of his last name? I never did.
Johnny D-Train
July 28th, 2009
4:58 pm
Dwyer isn’t a system back. He averaged 5.3 a pop in a pro-style offense as a freshman on a team with no passing threat. This kid will be a feature NFL tailback.
unamused
July 28th, 2009
4:59 pm
Can someone send me a link where GT and UGA football can be discussed intelligently? This comment section is a disgrace for both sides….
Techster
July 28th, 2009
5:01 pm
Aside from the disastrous special teams play, don’t forget that one of guys who had a big game for LSU stopping the run was the third pick in the NFL draft. The New England Patriots got stopped by good defensive line play also. Was their “system” flawed? If we don’t turn the ball over and control the line of scrimmage, we’ll win. If don’t, we’ll lose. The system is incidental.
Steaming LogInLex
July 28th, 2009
5:13 pm
unamused, let me guess- you are one of the GT fans who refuses to stand or show a pulse during home games.
Overrated?
July 28th, 2009
5:21 pm
I’ll just leave this here…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFIT-3gcAR8
unamused
July 28th, 2009
5:23 pm
Because I’d rather read comments that actually have merit and strive to make a legitimate point as opposed to name calling means I’m a lame fan?
Frank Wren
July 28th, 2009
5:26 pm
Dwyer is a great player and a better person. He will compete for both the Doak Walker Award with Best and Hunter and the Maxwell Trophy with Tebow, Bradford, and McCoy. That said Roddy Jones, Marcus Wright, Anthony Allen, and Embree Peeples will all demand carries. Like Calvin johnson, Dwyer wont get enough touches to compete fo the heisman, but also like Johnson, Dwyer will be a first rate NFL prospect. He is actually faster than Knowshon Moreno and stronger than Michael Turner. No offense to CJ Spiller, but other than the kickoff and punt game he didnt have many big plays. Dwyer had the two longest runs in the ACC last year and the longest reception by a runningback. Spiller is quick, but he is not an every down back and he plays on a Clemson team that has underachieved since Charlie Whitehurst left.
Steaming LogInLex
July 28th, 2009
5:34 pm
unamused, good name considering you are unamusing. Nothing wrong with a little half-hearted trash talk. Don’t take this so seriously, grow a pair, or stop reading.
And thanks for the Clemson youtube footage from your one win against GT in the last 5 years. That game reminds me of our Chick-fil-A bowl “game” against LSU. I wish I could erase it from memory. Spiller looked so promising back then but despite his talent has failed to live up to the expectations. Which seems to be typical of Clemson football in general.
Long Dawg
July 28th, 2009
5:38 pm
Gerald Ball needs to see a shrink. He is babbling incoherently…. bla bla bla we’ll take that any day…. You have to take it, you don’t have any choice. Tech’s football team is inconsistent no matter who the coach is (see Gardner Webb, North Carolina Virginia, LSU) The Georgia win somehow makes you knuckleheaded nerds think you have arrived. Without two turnovers you would not have won that game.
All tech football players don’t have to take calculus. That’s BS. The athletic dept hires tutors to get them thru school.
Tech has no defense and this year, while their offense might get better, their defense will be worse and they will lose big because they won’t be able to stop anybody.
Steaming LogInLex
July 28th, 2009
5:46 pm
Here you go Overrated, check out link below. And might I say you have a fitting login name for a Clemson fan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nnstylh2g8
DawgFan JT
July 28th, 2009
6:03 pm
Here’s a little recruiting info for you: UGA recruited Dwyer quite heavily, and he was seriously considering becoming a dawg and UGA was his #1 until the plug was pulled. By that, I mean, MR and staff dropped their pursuit of Dwyer because we promised another running back by the name of Caleb King that we would not sign another player at the RB position, or Mr. King would pledge his alliegance with a guy named Pete Carrol in S California. Those were the stipulations laid out by Mr. King, and the UGA staff kept their word and pulled the scholarship that was set aside for Dwyer. After all Dwyer was only a 4 star top 15-20 running back(Rivals and Scout) compared to Caleb King who was the 2nd rated prospect in the country and a 5 star. With that being said, I would trade King and Samuels for just a chance to obtain a J Dwyer. HE IS A MAN! THE REAL DEAL! Being a die hard UGA fan, I can’t let ignorance blind the fact we let a GREAT GREAT football player get away in Mr. Dwyer. To all of my fellow UGA friends and brothers, lets use a little more class when it comes to UGA-Tech Boards b/c the immature, un-factual, and unconditionally negative posts against the Jackets makes us as a bulldog nation look like a bunch of arrogant idiots. GT handed us an as* whoopin in the 2nd half last November. CPJ is a class act and an excellent football coach, and the jackets are a well-coached, highly motivated, and talented football team. Congrats to CPJ for making the November showdown something worth looking forward to year after year. The Truth: Our only concern fellow DAWGS should be the orange and blue team that resides below the GA-FLA line cause they are the ones that make us look like puppies year in and year out, not the jackets. Good luck to Tech and Dwyer this year, and I look forward to the chance to do battle with you guys on the field for many years to come, for it makes for an all-around better rivalry. Hopefully, U guys can sustain your success under CPJ and continue to bring success to Georgia and make the state a 2 school football powerhouse once again. To my fellow Dawgs with the inaccurate and senseless posts, I do not claim you for you make the Dawg nation look un-educated.
mike hendley
July 28th, 2009
6:17 pm
45-42
Tokyo jacket
July 28th, 2009
6:52 pm
I said it when Dwyer was a freshman and it royall pi$$ed off the UGA fans, but I’ll say it again. Dwyer is very similar in style to Hershel Walker. I’m not saying he’s as good, YET! JD’s got the ability to run through you, over you or by you. He won’t run around you because he doesn’t have to. There haven’t been a lot of backs that had this style in college football. Lately, the serious Heisman contenders who were RBs have been more the scat back type.
Think about it. Last season JD played at 238. He is often referred to as the fastest person on the team (which is, by the way, a very fast team as UGA found out). He’ll probably time out at the combine around 4.35 to 4.40 – 4.38 coming out of high school. The other players that come to mind with JDs speed/power combination over the last 30 years are Hershel Walker, Bo Jackson, and Ricky Williams. They all won Heisman trophies; they all also had a Top 10 team around them. I’m not saying he’s as good as those guys, but has a very similar style. Probably very similar to Bo Jackson. I think that Dwyer will have a lot of highlight reels due to the nature of the offense. That will make him a contender. Wins against UGA, FSU, and VT will likely make him a top 5 candidate.
The rest is luck and a high school popularity contest. Will Tebow get hurt on one of his many ill-advised runs? Will Bradford blow out his shoulder throwing 40 times a game? Will Dwyer get hurt when he goes up the gut 60 times a game? This is why I love college football.
Mark Bradley
July 28th, 2009
7:08 pm
Someone noted that Tech lost to a weak Boston College team last season. No. 1, BC wasn’t weak — it won the ACC Atlantic Division. No. 2, Tech didn’t lose. It won the game in Boston. See the picture that ran above this post? That was Jonathan Dwyer scoring the winning touchdown.
Not Disappointed
July 28th, 2009
7:57 pm
Jonathan Dwyer not just a man…….A DIESEL Truck! A man among Men! All aboard!!!!!
Go Jackets!!!!
third quarter fan
July 28th, 2009
7:58 pm
MB, do you think Diesel will get enough chances (considering all his teammates and his probable resting the last quarter in many games) to get a reasonable consideration?
c'mon
July 28th, 2009
8:05 pm
Spiller is good no doubt, but Dwyer is the class of the league. Check these out, my God a Freshman!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyJkCJuSP5Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrpoz70kfE8
go jackets
July 28th, 2009
8:52 pm
At first this looked like a decent blog after reading the first few blogs, but then as always the legions of bs-spewing dawgs come out of the woodwork and it spirals downhill due to the likes of Dawg in lex, huh, etc. etc. It is just mindless, spiteful drivel. One of them said they bought a single season ticket just to get the Ga game ticket. That shows what a loser he is that he can’t get anyone to go with him to a game. It’s just sickening what these UGA blog trollers do, they have no life but to come on the board and dis GT and its S.A.s.
Major props to GT and JD for the class they show on this subject, much more than can be said for these classless UGA so called fans.
long dawg
July 28th, 2009
9:31 pm
Tech fans wake up. LSU was leading 35 to 3 at the half. Tech had the entire second half to make a game of it. They didn’t because they couldn’t. JD had 67 yards rushing in 10 carries. Nice average but it doesn’t mean much if you can’t score. Total yards rushin for Tech 167. 40 running plays and 25 passing plays with 8 completions. Nice passing game? No one is delusional about stopping this offense, Ask Va Tech, Gardner Webb, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida State and LSU. Just because Georgia didn’t stop it doesn’t mean it is unstoppable. It just means they are so used to beating tech and got so far ahead they relaxed. That won’t happen this year and in your little bumble bee heart of hearts you know it. Spew while you can. You don’t get to very often.
Boss Hogg
July 28th, 2009
10:26 pm
Huh?: At least Tech did not RETIRE A PLAYERS JERSEY just because they won. To give you & a lot of UGA fans a history lesson, in 1957 UGA snapped an 8 game losing streak to Tech & RETIRED THERON SAPP’S JERSEY because he scored a touchdown. His only accomplishment at UGA, so STFU about the rings. That is not why they got rings, moron.
The Dude
July 28th, 2009
10:52 pm
This blog was written to inspire conversation about the legitimacy of Jon as an HTC. You’re an imbecile if you’ve argued any other point here.
truth
July 28th, 2009
11:14 pm
Dwyer isn’t a legit Heisman candidate unfortunately. Great back, may win POTY again in the ACC.
Probably won’t finish in the top 5 unless Tech wins 10-12 games and he puts up mind-boggling stats.
This is just the usual front-running homer fluff piece from Bradley. He’s made a career of finding the mainstream local current and then parroting it with a few words switched around. Last year he was writing articles about how great a preseason #1 UGA was. Now UGA is passe and Tech is going to win the ACC with Dwyer as a Heisman candidate.
macrotech
July 29th, 2009
1:16 am
DawginLex, your mutts FINALLY play someone in their opening game…. AND, you’re the self-proclaimer of keeping the Tech blog afloat?! Wait?! Sh** floats….correlation?! I submit that there is!
macrotech
July 29th, 2009
1:34 am
Sure is fun watching Huh? gettin’ all pissy!!! How can you say you’re ’sick and tired’ of Tech fans mouths when you’re NEVER absent from blogs pertaining to Tech….. Are you the ’self abusive’ type?
No one can find grant field are bobby dodd stadium
July 29th, 2009
4:04 am
Jonathan Dwyer Heisman no way sir….lets try Flordia quarterback as heisman winner again should won last year been 3time wineer never been done….But tebow will win heisman his 2nd by a landslide n 3rd Natl championship…Tech will be 4-8 this season because of who they play n 2nd year of new coach system n fact Tech fans can never find the stadium at all! TEBOW from fla gators 2009 Hiesman trophy winner!
macrotech
July 29th, 2009
4:09 am
‘No one can find grant field are bobby dodd stadium’…. drunk blogging? If your predictions are of equal quality to your grammer and spelling- I like Dwyer’s chances…not to mention Tech’s!
No one can find grant field are bobby dodd stadium
July 29th, 2009
4:12 am
after lookin i should said Gt will be 7-5 this season…..but still no on can find bobby dodd stadium but rats n cats n some hookers!But Tebow will win hiesman again.So bank on that tech lovers u claim be that but when u have a home game no one show’s up they either in dorms asleep are makin drugs are smokin them…u make a bowel’s game yes but will lose n u will be beat by Georgia also!
No one can find grant field are bobby dodd stadium
July 29th, 2009
4:16 am
and remeber folks in jest i write will be 10-2 anyway!….and my english is fine i type this way so u can see.what u want no humor in a sports paper gee wiz folks!ButTebow will win hiesman again so there.
macrotech
July 29th, 2009
4:18 am
AND, you are, OBVIOUSLY, one of our BEST customers!!!
macrotech
July 29th, 2009
4:22 am
PLEASE!!! Tell me that you’re a dawg grad….fan…..anything canine!!!
George P
July 29th, 2009
7:15 am
“quarterbacks always have the inherent edge”
While it’s true that in recent years quarterbacks have won most of the Heisman trophies, that hasn’t always been the case. It seems to go in cycles.
After Pat Sullivan won in 1972 it was all running backs until Doug Flutie won in 1984. People during that stretch were saying that running backs had the advantage and that it was hard for a quarterback to break through.
From 1985 through 1999 it was won by six quarterbacks, six running backs, two wide receivers, and a corner.
Since then it’s been seven quarterbacks and one running back, but that’s not a very long stretch by trophy standards.
Long Dawg
July 29th, 2009
8:56 am
Dude, JD has a very low probability of winning the Heisman. Now that folks have seen and played against the option thay will force GT to throw more and he will get fewer carries. Defenses will be keying on him because if they stop him they stop the offense. See LSU game-65 total offensive plays 40 runs (JD got 10 carries) and 25 passes.And last but not least – did anyone ever win a Heisman on an 8 and 4 team? GT will lose at least 4 in 09.
Greg
July 29th, 2009
10:11 am
Dwyer is a very good back. But I think you might be biting off more than you can chew by comparing him to Spiller. Let’s face it… Paul Johnson, given the choice, would pick Spiller over Dwyer all day long.
ahope3
July 29th, 2009
10:29 am
Try selling out a 55,000 seat stadium……,
You are the most ignorant disrespectful person that’s ever been on these blogs. And get your friggin facts straight. We in no way, shape, or form lost to BC last year you idiot. Shoulda went to Tech to make something of yourself fool.
BobM
July 29th, 2009
10:40 am
Dwyer a hesiman candidate… ha ha ha ha ha!!!
SWBUZZMAN
July 29th, 2009
10:59 am
Dawgin,
Class dismissed? Ding, ding, rang the bell, 45-42. That was a class in how to get your backside handed to you in the second half. Like CPJ said, let people think they have got it figured out just because of the LSU game. Film had been around for years and UGA didnt! THWG!!!!!!
SWBUZZMAN
July 29th, 2009
11:04 am
Greg,
Spiller over Dwyer? Are you nuts? Spiller only had 700 yds rushing last year, and 500 less total yards that JD. No-one said Dwyer would win the Heisman, not even the article, just that he should be considered as a candidate. After all, he is probably the best RB in the nation.
clemfan
July 29th, 2009
12:24 pm
First off spiller was not in a run first offense last year and shared carries with James Davis. Tech had around 75 receptions on their entire team, Aaron Kelley had something around 65 for Clemson. The fact that Dwyer has twice as many rushing yards makes sense when he has twice the carries. At the same time spiller has more than twice the receiving yards because Clemson has a little bit more of a balanced attack and uses Spiller as a receiver occasionally. Not discrediting Dwyer but they are different running backs. I mean Dwyer did average 7 yards a carry which is unbelievable. I definitely think Tech and Clemson will both loose to many games to have either Spiller or Dwyer in the run for the Heisman.
NYJacket
July 29th, 2009
4:30 pm
Gerald Ball,
How can you say Gailey recruited passing players when he never found a passing QB?
GT9
July 29th, 2009
8:45 pm
Good post, DawgFan JT.
Grubb, I’ve missed three GT games in the past five years and of all the places that we visit, Clemson definitely has the BEST fans. The Clemson fans know how to tailgate on an unbelievably high level, but they have the most class of all the other fan bases that I’ve visited. I really wouldn’t mind playing that game in Clemson every year. (Not to mention the incredible cardiovascular workout getting to my seat.)
CJ Spiller cooked a very good, GT defense his freshman year. He very well could have another game like that on Sept 10.
Jonathon Dwyer. Whew. I love watching that guy run the ball. I’ve seen linebackers bounce off of him and defensive backs not catch up to him. Whether he wins the Heisman or not, whether he’s even got a legitimate chance of winning the trophy, he’s definitely a Heisman quality back. Griffin, Walker, Jackson, George, Williams, ,,, they all played behind much better lines than Dwyer did last season.
As far as offensive lines go, UGA is going to have an excellent one. Despite the saying that offense wins games, defense wins championships, it is the offensive line where teams live or die. The Oklahoma State game is going to be a good showcase to the nation as to how good UGA will be this year.
Thank God for college football and Paul Johnson.
BIGGBUZZ
July 29th, 2009
11:22 pm
I LUV IT! THE LEG HUMPERS HAVEN’T FIGURED OUT THAT CHAN AND REGGIE ARE LONG GONE!
Speak Easy
July 30th, 2009
3:07 am
Clemfan, I agree that Dwyer will not win the heisman this year and may never, but he is a great back and IMO a better back than Spiller who has seen a down hill trend to his career every year since he began at Clemson. And speak for yourself about the wins and losses because I see at least 10 wins this year however bold a statement that may be. Sorry for the late post summer classes are rough and it’s getting final time. And sorry for the grammar issues I am not an English major.
P.S. It will be a fun year for GT if only because UGA’s quarterbacks name is Joe Cox. Because we all know that UGA GIRLS LOVE LOTS OF COX haha childish I know but so funny.
gtforever
July 30th, 2009
10:45 am
Dwyer, ONE of the BEST backs in the country. Who really cares who wins the HT.
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