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
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
1:52 pm
I see your still upset about that butt whippin you got maybe next year…that’s GT slogan isn’t it bahahahahah
WDE
July 28th, 2010
1:52 pm
Kevin is absolutely trying to make excuses. Do you think that just because you can convey your key to UGA losing (not tackling) into a small sentence means that it is the reason we should all believe? UGA’s biggest problem is lack of discipline and lack of heart. When was the last time you were truly inspired by the way UGA played with heart? Florida in 2007? You wanna talk about gimmicks, that one takes the cake.
Scott W.
July 28th, 2010
1:53 pm
AP was the NC previous to BCS. Of those two you have none. Don’t be like Alabama and claim things that aren’t truly yours.
supersize that order, mutt
July 28th, 2010
1:54 pm
cobbjacket, as much as I hate to admit it, if you look deeper, you will see that there are a few other years in which UGAG received votes as NC. So it ends up being Tech 6, UGAG 5. But as far as NC’s recognized by the college football clearing house, it’s Tech 4, UGAG 2. Either way, Tech has more.
Scott W.
July 28th, 2010
1:55 pm
WDE how about Baccari Rambo when he was injured at the goal line last time AU visited Sanford. That was a great show of heart.
Eric
July 28th, 2010
1:55 pm
Not having Jaybo won’t affect us at all. He was terrible. Do some homework on our backups (tevin and jordan) before sounding like a fool. They are both better than jaybo. That’s why he transferred.
Funny how experience for a backup matters but it doesn’t for a starter(uga murray)
You’d think it would be the opposite since the backup rarely gets a chance.
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
1:58 pm
How valuable was joshuuuaaa against Iowa? Win a bowl game big boobs johnson…
supersize that order, mutt
July 28th, 2010
1:58 pm
Scott W., AP was NOT BY CONSENSUS the NC prior to the BCS; the AP was only one of many polling services, and the UPI was considered just as valid. Prior to the UPI, there were others as well that were recognized as being official. If you go to the NCAA official site, or to the College Football Clearing House site, you will see that prior to the BCS, there were MANY MANY years in which there were officially recognized SHARED NC’s. In fact, the one UGAG claims for 1942 was shared, as were several by Bama, LSU, USC, OSU, MSU, etc.
Chad
July 28th, 2010
1:58 pm
Keep railing on the iowa game. They didn’t lose a game when stanzi played last year and will likely contend for the nat champ again this year. kick ferenz is a damn good coach and if you played them last year, they would have beaten you by 28.
Russ, the Temporary Mascot
July 28th, 2010
1:58 pm
“I can’t stand that ugly dog.” – Blogger
What dog are you talking about? Let’s hope it’s not me. Sure, they painted my a$$ but I am not bad looking for a bulldog – and I am a great mascot even if they think my a$$ is the wrong color.
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
2:01 pm
Yeah Iowa is a damn good team GT found that out real quick and GT was favored in that game…I’m sure they won’t be favored in a bowl games for a loooooong while
PTC DAWG
July 28th, 2010
2:03 pm
Most valuable to his team, I would go for that.
T3
July 28th, 2010
2:04 pm
Spiller was an awesome player, and was VOTED the 2009 ACC POY.
GT went 7-1 and won the ACC, defeating Clemson & Spiller…TWICE.
IMHO, Nesbitt was THE SINGLE MOST MOST VALUABLE PLAYER IN THE ACC.
Period.
Chad
July 28th, 2010
2:05 pm
Kevin
Why can you only win three games against UF since 90? Is that why you come on here and avoid talk with gator fans? Does it make you feel better? The fact is, your recruiting classes are par with UF. GT DOES NOT recruit players that you do. You are known for lacking in the educational department. You are suppose to beat us. We know that but apparently you don’t. But you are not suppose to have a winning percent of 15% against your biggest rival since 90. Those are the years that matter most right? Or are you one of these 1980 losers. 15% man. Think about that before posting on here again. That’s 1.5 wins every decade loser.
Alan
July 28th, 2010
2:07 pm
Agree 100% T3. Take away spiller and clemson still wins half their games. Take away nesbitt and gt wins 3-4.
SEA ISLAND
July 28th, 2010
2:08 pm
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((30-24))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
BuzzKill
July 28th, 2010
2:08 pm
Just heard the news…Superman has officially traded
his Tim Tebow pajamas…for Joshua Nesbitt pajamas.
Scott W.
July 28th, 2010
2:08 pm
Supersize, if you want to count NC that were awarded before bowl games were played go ahead or maybe we should only count from 1990 to present like most Gator fans seem to want to.
meh
July 28th, 2010
2:09 pm
UGA’s 3-4 defense is gonna break Nesbitt’s face!
BuzzKill
July 28th, 2010
2:10 pm
Isnt Sea Island bankrupt now??
I guess being stupid has all kinds of disadvantages.
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
2:10 pm
GT looked about as good against Iowa as they did the year before against LSU bahahahaha
supersize that order, mutt
July 28th, 2010
2:12 pm
Scott W. I’m not sure exactly when the first bowl game was, but 1929 was listed as one of the years Tech won a NC that “college football experts don’t count.” I’m sorry, but in 1929, Tech beat UCal in the Rose Bowl, and that certainly wasn’t the first Rose Bowl.
Alan
July 28th, 2010
2:15 pm
what bowl were you in last year jay? shut up fool.
George Stein
July 28th, 2010
2:15 pm
Seriously, Jay Dawg? Living vicariously through Iowa?
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
2:17 pm
UGA wins there bowl games BCS games or not..If you can’t hang with the big DAWGS stay your bubble bee @sses on the porch. GO DAWGS!
George Stein
July 28th, 2010
2:18 pm
UGA wins THERE bowl games? Proofread. Then post.
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
2:20 pm
Not living through anyone. I see you nerds on UGA stories talkin your crap I thought I would shake your little bee hive some. Really getting to you huh? GO DAWGS!
Scott W.
July 28th, 2010
2:20 pm
Let’s go with the College Football Data Warehouse which would put the stats at 2 NC for UGA and 2 for GT.
Jacket Backer
July 28th, 2010
2:20 pm
Wish the season started today!
Go Jackets!!
Scott W.
July 28th, 2010
2:20 pm
Sorry 4 NC for GT
CPJ Disciple
July 28th, 2010
2:20 pm
I think Glory Glory needs to be punched in the nose…
George Stein
July 28th, 2010
2:22 pm
Not really, Jay Dawg. We just think you’re an idiot.
Scott W.
July 28th, 2010
2:22 pm
Here is the kicker though: Please note that the CFBDW list of Recognized Champions does not confer any additional legitimacy to the titles. In this regard, some universities claim championships not recognized by CFBDW or do not claim championships that are recognized by CFBDW. Please consult the above table of National championship claims by school or individual team articles and websites for possible additional or alternative national championship claims.
Below is a list of all of the CFBDW recognized national championships from 1869 to present.
Dawgtards ruin this state
July 28th, 2010
2:23 pm
Shreveport is who we are!!
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
2:24 pm
Living vicariously through George Stein huh? Get your own identity you douche… Really someone elses name as your blog post name. You gonna be on the regular guys this week nerd boy?
P City
July 28th, 2010
2:26 pm
Ga Tech averaged 126 yards passing per game last year
Good for LAST in the ACC, and #116 worst in the NCAA.
Like I said, they CAN’T pass the ball.
Herschel Talker
July 28th, 2010
2:26 pm
TheTaxJacket:
“((( 45 – 42 ))) STILL rankles you, doesn’t it??”
Yes, we don’t even remember 30-24.
“Well guess what? You have CPJ’s attention now, and that’s NOT A GOOD PLACE TO BE my friend.”
Yes, CPJ was so focused that he let the worst Dawg team in 10 year come into his house while he had the #7 team in the country and let the Dawgs stomp all over his guys. Good thing we now have his attention. Who knows what the results would have been had we not?
HT
Scott W.
July 28th, 2010
2:27 pm
Shreveport certainly isn’t a Humanitarian Bowl, Nugget Bowl, Emerald Bowl, or Silicon Valley Classic Bowl.
supersize that order, mutt
July 28th, 2010
2:27 pm
P City, those yards are not because Tech CAN’T pass the ball; it’s because Tech DOESN’T pass the ball. Even with those few yards, plus Nesbitt’s inconsistent passing, Tech still ranked 13th in passing efficiency. Don’t report just the things you like; report the whole story
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
2:29 pm
Hey George maybe you can give man boobies some advice on how to win a bowl game after he’s done breast feeding joshuuuaaaa
supersize that order, mutt
July 28th, 2010
2:30 pm
Scott W., that college football warehouse has lots of good info in it. Kevin posted the link to it yesterday, claiming UGAG’s schedule ranked 2nd all time in the country. He was correct in that claim, but he didn’t look closely enough to find out that the reason it ranks so high for all time is that the pre-1950 schedules were tough; that has certainly not been the case since then, last year being a notable exception.
HedgeHumper
July 28th, 2010
2:30 pm
Kentucky 34-27 hawwwww. OK State 24-10 hawwwww. LSU 20-13 hawwww
Tennessee 45-19 BWWAAAAAAAAHHH Fla 41-17 close. Hawwwww. Headiin to Shreveport!
Ed
July 28th, 2010
2:31 pm
p city
are you an idiot. total yards is what matters. lets compare your rushing yards to our rushing. some of you are clueless to football.
P City
July 28th, 2010
2:32 pm
Ga Tech can pass? Really? #116 in passing yards per game.
How bout this?
Ranked #119 in pass completion % out of 120 teams at 46%.
Like I said, Ga Tech CAN’T pass the ball.
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
2:35 pm
Hey p city how well did GT run the ball against Iowa last year?
HedgeHumper
July 28th, 2010
2:35 pm
Talking about man boobies? How about that fat pregnant looking tub of lard DC Grantham? Never passed up a buffet in his life.
supersize that order, mutt
July 28th, 2010
2:35 pm
P City, you are a f***ng idiot. Why SHOULD Tech pass when we can gain 400+ yards on the ground. Do you want 400 yards rushing AND 400 yards passing? No running team has ever done that. Hell, Tech probably had more passing yards last year than Nebraska or Oklahoma did in the years when they ran the option and won NC’s doing it. You still ignore the passing efficienty of 13th from last year.
Scott W.
July 28th, 2010
2:36 pm
True supersize but it brings to mind that age old idiom about lies, damn lies, and statistics.
JayDawg
July 28th, 2010
2:37 pm
HedgeHumper your George Stein and just changed your name because of what I said its ok t you can stay George bahahahaha
Gburdell
July 28th, 2010
2:37 pm
kevin…and your logo is what…stolen from Green Bay?