Tech’s Joshua Nesbitt: The most valuable collegiate player?
It takes at least four Hokies to handle Joshua Nesbitt. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
Ankle surgery having precluded his participation in spring practice, Joshua Nesbitt had the chance to study Georgia Tech from the sideline. And what he saw, he said, was a team just as talented as last season’s ACC champs. Which is, not to put too fine a point on it, a big ol’ fib.
Because the Jackets with Nesbitt on the sideline aren’t one-tenth as impressive as Tech is when he’s on the field. He’s not quite the best player in college football, but no one means more to a program than this quarterback does to his.
Paul Johnson’s stylized option-based spread starts with Nesbitt, and often it ends there. He has to make every read, every pitch, every throw. He also has to take 30 hits a game, and therein lies the issue. With backup Jaybo Shaw having transferred to Georgia Southern, Tech can’t afford to lose Nesbitt for a single snap. But even a man as conspicuously robust as this — he appears bigger than his listed 217 pounds — is going to feel some pain.
The good news: Nesbitt said last week he feels better than he has “since high school.” The bad: Every Tech opponent won’t be so concerned with defending the option this season as with simply smacking Nesbitt.
But here’s the thing: Nesbitt is capable of smacking back. He has a linebacker’s approach to playing quarterback. If you come hard at him, he’ll come harder at you. Apologies in advance for again using the I-word — “indomitable” — but with Nesbitt no other adjective is half as applicable.
Said Nesbitt, speaking of Tech: “We understand what it means to fight until the clock says zero.”
Much of this comes from Pugnacious Paul, the head coach. Nearly as much emanates from the quarterback he inherited on arrival, a young man after PJ’s fighting heart.
And these Jackets, picked to finish third in the ACC Coastal Division, figure to need all the orneriness they can muster. They lost four gifted juniors to the NFL, and their road schedule — trips to Kansas, North Carolina, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Georgia — is a fright. Or it would be, were Nesbitt the sort to get nettled.
“People are looking for us not to be the same team,” Nesbitt said. “We know we’ve got a bull’s eye on us. … We need to prove everybody wrong.”
Someone asked if Johnson imparts that very message to his players. “Only every time we talk,” Nesbitt said, and then he laughed.
Another source of some amusement: The two letters at the shank of his first name. He was born Joshua Leonard Nesbitt, but for 21 years he answered to Josh. He and his mother decided to ask Tech to list his name as Joshua for his senior season: “More businesslike,” he said.
Which isn’t to say everyone has gotten the memo. Heck, sometimes his mom even slips and forgets the “u” and the “a.” “It doesn’t faze me,” said Nesbitt, who isn’t easily fazed.
And what does Tech’s coach call his quarterback? “He can call me whatever he likes.”
We know Johnson has the utmost faith in his offense — he should; he designed the thing — but even a man as proud as PJ will acknowledge that an option cannot run itself. Somebody has to take the ball from center and send it the right way and absorb those hits, and there’s nobody on Tech’s campus who can do it the way Nesbitt does.
Still, the cult of Joshua hasn’t yet found national traction. We saw it again this week when the assembled ACC media voted him sixth in its preseason player-of-the-year balloting. Yeah, that’s part of being an option quarterback in 21st century football, but still … sixth!
Maybe his low standing had something to do with Nesbitt skipping the ACC’s media days in Greensboro. Both Tech and conference officials implored him to come, but he was adamant. He had to attend a family reunion in Miami. (And no, it wasn’t an agent-funded soiree.)
And there’s just another reason to like Joshua Nesbitt. In an age where hype knows no restraints — hello, LeBron James — the most valuable Jacket had better things to do than talk about himself. Talk about a throwback.
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555 comments Add your comment
HugoStiglitz
July 28th, 2010
1:15 pm
P City, just curiously how did Missouri do against Navy in their bowl game last year. Missouri must have killed them with all of that time to prepare for it. How did UGA do against GT in 2008 with two weeks to prepare? They must have shut that thing down right? Also, GT wasnt last in the NCAA in passing. Close, but not quite last.
Everyone chill
July 28th, 2010
1:17 pm
Guys, don’t reply to Glory Glory. He’s just wanting to rile the Tech faithful. Everyone knows Tech has more tradition, prestige, and class than UGA. Always has, always will. They are football school, Tech is more towards academics.
Mark (a different one)
July 28th, 2010
1:17 pm
I am a dawg fan but I give Nesbitt his due. He runs the GT offense well, and is their most valuable player. He has also shown he can take some hits and bounce back up to keep playing.
I wish him and his team well, except for on Nov. 27. Beating an ACC champion team for our final home game would be great. My wish is to see two underfeated teams meet.
However, for UGA, the most important game of the season regular season is Oct. 30.
George Stein
July 28th, 2010
1:18 pm
In passing yards, Hugo, we ranked 116th. But anyone can throw for 500 yards a game if they throw the ball 60 times. The more accurate statistic is either pass efficiency or yards per attempt (not completion). Using those statistics, our passing game rated quite well.
Jack G.
July 28th, 2010
1:18 pm
He is great for this type of offense. Its run not pass.
nickj0321
July 28th, 2010
1:18 pm
Stephen Hill sums it up by simply calling Jousha “The Man”….UGA doesn;t have a single player as valuable as Joshua is….
Don't really hate....
July 28th, 2010
1:19 pm
….UGA, most of their fans that I know only have one real flaw, otherwise great people who love to talk about football and have respect for their rivals and enjoy good natured trash talking. Then there are the pos, redneck losers that give UGA a bad name. Unfortunately, they seem to have broadband at the trailer park, so you get the likes of glory glory getting his rocks off on here by venting his spleen and stirring up s**t. THWGG!!!!!
George Stein
July 28th, 2010
1:19 pm
Fair enough, different Mark. You are a perfect example of most UGA fans. You should root like hell for your team but at least you’re objective about others.
kevin
July 28th, 2010
1:21 pm
HugoStiglitz,
Actually, UGA shut it down in 2008 in the first half and while GT enjoyed success running it in the 2nd half, most of the yards came from big plays in which UGA defenders did not wrap up there opponents. So, the gameplan was there to shut it down. We just did not execute in the 2nd half.
T3
July 28th, 2010
1:23 pm
NESBITT WAS THE SINGLE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER IN 2009 IN THE ACC.
NESBITT IS THE SINGLE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER IN 2010 IN THE ACC.
PERIOD. NO EXCPETIONS.
Just imagine the ovation Nesbitt will get
on Nov. 20th vs. Duke, Senior Day at GT.
YELLOW HEADED YOGURT SLINGER
July 28th, 2010
1:23 pm
I attribute his success to CPJ moreso.
Paul in RDU
July 28th, 2010
1:25 pm
So Phil Steele has picked GT as #6 team in the ACC and UGA as #5 in the SEC. How did he do with his preseason picks the last 2 years?
2008 UGA #5 in nation GT unranked
2009 UGA #13 in nation GT unranked
Heck, he picked Ole Miss at #6 and ND at #7 last year.
The man is a veritable Nostradamus
kevin
July 28th, 2010
1:26 pm
In 2009, CJ Spiller was the most valuable player in the ACC.
HedgeHumper
July 28th, 2010
1:27 pm
Your mascot is a slobbering sloth that has to have his butt spray painted. The widely part is a figment of your large imagination. Maybe widely among trailer parks. Everyone shudders at the thought of a hive of Yellow Jackets. No, I’m not kidding.
kevin
July 28th, 2010
1:27 pm
T3,
Check it out here: http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120209aab.html
George Stein
July 28th, 2010
1:27 pm
You’re right about that, kevin. He went nuts last year.
cobbjacket
July 28th, 2010
1:27 pm
Really Kevin, the shared (stolen) 1990 nc is your best comeback? Take a good look at the screw job we got when Colorado got five downs to win that game and tell me we were not robbed. That should look so familiar to you, since every loss the dawgs have had in the last fifteen years have been because of crooked officiating. And just for the record, we have 4 nc’s, versus the 1 you guys had to share with Herschel Walker.
kevin
July 28th, 2010
1:29 pm
Hedgehumper,
The “widely” part is not a figment on my imagination. You can be quiet now.
http://www.americasbestonline.net/cmascots.htm
HugoStiglitz
July 28th, 2010
1:29 pm
kevin, in 2008 UGA gave up 428 yds and 45 points to GT. That is a whole lot of not executing. Any team can say they didnt execute properly in any game, its a complete cop out excuse.
HedgeHumper
July 28th, 2010
1:30 pm
Kevin says the only reason Tech scored is we couldn’t tackle them. Do you even know what football is about? Man, you need to quit while you’re behind.
supersize that order, mutt
July 28th, 2010
1:31 pm
kevin, I suggest you go to that same clearing house link you provided yesterday and see just how many RECOGNIZED NC’s both Tech and UGAG have. I think you will find 4 for Tech, 1917, 1929, 1952, and 1990. There are also a few other years (like 1951) where some pollsters voted Tech number 1, but it is not considered a “recognized” NC. I think I saw two for UGAG, 1980 and 1942, although that’s the first place I have seen 1942 listed as a recognized NC for the mutts.
cobbjacket
July 28th, 2010
1:31 pm
It’s an absolute shame that you had to play two halves. Perhaps it wasn’t so much you guys not executing as it was Tech adjusted.
kevin
July 28th, 2010
1:32 pm
cobbjacket,
You are right about 1990. That was a lame comment on my part. However, the 2 NCs you had pre-WWII and the one in 1952 don’t really count by most college football fans/ experts. UGA has a pre-WWII NC too.
Check this out: http://www.fanblogs.com/ncaa/007617.php
The Herschel Walker comment was funny.
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
1:32 pm
Hey I remember seeing a bunch of GT players in Miami last year… Oh yeah they were getting there @sses whipped by Iowa hahahaha
Saban is a hypocrite
July 28th, 2010
1:34 pm
Coolbreeze, I know a bunch of GT fans who are not students or alumni. So what is you’re point? I’m a UGA fan who got my undergrad degree from kennesaw and my Master’s from west georgia. I grew up a UGA fan so I’m not allowed to pull for Georgia? My uncle who happens to be my next door neighbor and his son have season tickets to Tech football. My uncle went to North GA and his son graduated from kennesaw. Do you want them to turn in their tickets and not help attendence in your half filled stadium? I guess I would like to here you’re explanation as to why fans have to be students or alumni. Please indulge us with you’re genuis.
third quarter fan
July 28th, 2010
1:34 pm
kevin, it’s called adjustment. Paul did. Your guy did not.
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
1:36 pm
How many bowl games has Paul man boobies won?
kevin
July 28th, 2010
1:36 pm
George,
GT beat us fair and square, and you are right–lack of execution is a cop out. I was only mentioning it b/c I do believe the gameplan was there to stop it.
George Stein
July 28th, 2010
1:36 pm
C’mon Tax Jacket. You gotta let go of 45-42. It’s been almost two years. Hopefully we’ll get more of them.
cobbjacket
July 28th, 2010
1:37 pm
Kevin, having a “widely” recognized mascot has gotten you how many nc’s in the last thirty years? And just on a non biased, practical observation, bulldogs are the absolute worst pets on the planet. Most have so many chronic health problems that there is virtually no enjoyment in owing one. When was the last time you saw someone playing with a bulldog at the park? Give me a good, sturdy retriever any day.
supersize that order, mutt
July 28th, 2010
1:38 pm
So Kevin, you’re saying that all those championships won or shared by the likes of Big Ten schools and Notre Dame and Calfiornia that were 50 to 100 years ago don’t mean anything to most college football “experts”??? Give me a break, bubba. Football is football, and championships are championships, no matter when they were won.
kevin
July 28th, 2010
1:38 pm
third quarter fan,
I disagree. it was not adjusting as much as poor tackling. go back and watch the game. GT won fair and square, but it was simply b/c UGA failed to execute fundamental tackling skills.
supersize that order, mutt
July 28th, 2010
1:39 pm
Enter your comments here
BFD
July 28th, 2010
1:40 pm
Mark, good article, but kind of stating the obvious. Anyone that has kept up with Tech knows Josh’s (you can call me Joshua) value to the team.
Some of the rednecks that post here will downplay anything positive about a GT player. Kind of sad, but I guess when you go to certain schools, all you have is football, drinking, coeds and panties to be proud of.
Get Real
July 28th, 2010
1:40 pm
Since there are so many doggies here, maybe someone can answer a rumor a heard!! I heard CMR will be pulling another one of his game time gimmics against the Jackets this year. I hear he is asking the Alum and Fan necks to wear RED PANTIES to the game! Anyone else hear this rumor?
supersize that order, mutt
July 28th, 2010
1:41 pm
Mark, Mark, Mark, Mark, Mar,……OMG…..GREAT article, but don’t you know what a “surname” is? A surname is the family name….or last name. Nesbitt didn’t add two letters to his surname; he added them to his first name
George Stein
July 28th, 2010
1:41 pm
kevin, I tend to agree that we benefited from missed tackles on some plays (most notably on the game sealing TD by Roddy Jones). But by the same token, we simply failed to get off blocks in 2009 and watched y’all run all over our defense. I know you’re not making excuses and I applaud that. But tacking, blocking, and getting off blocks etc. are the most basic parts of the game.
Scott W.
July 28th, 2010
1:42 pm
I heard a rumor that GT has a football team, even with the success of last year this remains an unconfirmed rumor.
third quarter fan
July 28th, 2010
1:42 pm
spin it kevin.
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
1:43 pm
It must suck to be disappointed every year on the last game getting your butts kicked in your bowl games. I would be pissed to. GO DAWGS!
supersize that order, mutt
July 28th, 2010
1:44 pm
kevin, you probably never saw the response I made to that link you posted yesterday which you used to defend UGAG’s scheduling. I didn’t see it or respond until several hours later. You were correct in that it shows that UGAG’s all time strength of schedule ranks 2nd in the country, BUT you should have dug a little deeper. The reason it ranks that high is NOT because of the last 10 years, nor even the last 25 years. UGAG’s tough schedules were all back in the dark ages of college football—-the years you say “most college football experts” don’t count anymore. Do your research, bubba.
BUFFOONDOG
July 28th, 2010
1:44 pm
HI, my name is Buffoon Dog. I come on this GT blog and tell you how horrible your team is when my team sux. In 2008, we were preranked number one in country and had our cover on Sports Illustrated. But that fell through and we ended up 9-3 losing to some team called the yellow jackets and there was a freshman named Roddy Jones who rushed for over 200 yards who we couldn’t stop while our 5 star NFL guys noshow Moreno and Stafford had to take a backseat. Then in 2009, we lost 5 games including Ky and TN and had to go to a bowl in Shreveport. And in the offseason, we had some players arrested and in jail and our AD was weaving all over the road after drinking and driving with panties between his legs but I still have so much to be proud of the last two years. And even though, your team won the ACC championship by beating teams such as VT, FSU and Clemson who have their own 5 stars, I still want to come on here and tell you how your team isn’t any good because I am BuffoonDog.
dap01
July 28th, 2010
1:44 pm
Are you serious? Are we running out of sports material?
kevin
July 28th, 2010
1:45 pm
Gots to go. Thanks to George Stein for sharing the comments. Good luck to GT except when they play UGA.
cobbjacket
July 28th, 2010
1:45 pm
Kevin,
If you look up the history of the NC, each year there are multiple teams awarded them by numerous organizations, however each year, there is always one that is listed as the consensus for that particular year. Based on this, Tech has four that are recognized and I believe 6 overall. I personally do not count these other two. If you look at the same facts, UGA has 1, 1980. In 1942, they were awarded a nc by one of the lesser voting bodies and are not considered the primary nc. So it’s either 6-2 or 4-1. I’ll abide by whichever you choose to recognize.
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
1:48 pm
Iowa Iowa Iowa bahahahahaha
There's always an idiot on here and today he is.....
July 28th, 2010
1:49 pm
……. Jaydawg, Florida, Florida Florida bahahahaha
UGA=Plumbers
July 28th, 2010
1:50 pm
Kevin, our mascot is ridden out onto the field before every home game
BooBoo or is Run Bo Bo Run
July 28th, 2010
1:50 pm
We. Ruin. This. State.
bugsquacher
July 28th, 2010
1:50 pm
The most valuable collegiate player? whahahahahahahahhahahah, what a joke, maybe for some jr college or high school………… whahahahahahahahaah