Smart Jock

As the ink dries on Signing Day 2009, college football experts and fans alike settle down to evaluate the successes and failures of the recruiting season. UGA had all their commits sign as promised but lost nearly all their holdouts. It will be a thrill to watch Aaron Murray, Marlon Brown, Brandon Smith et al, and a shame to see the missed opportunity with Greg Reid. (Hell, at least Reid had the foresight to ditch Florida and pick non-threat FSU). No recruit is
as exciting to see don the Red and Black as offensive guard Chris Burnette.

Troup County High School signee, Chris Burnette, brings aggressive blocking, strong technical skills, and a 5.012 GPA to the UGA African-language Athletic Division.* Burnette is a candidate for his graduating class’s valedictorian. Athletic skill is one thing, but a sharp intellect is even better between the hedges. To have a Bulldog not named Stinchcomb with academic promise gives the injury-and-punishment-ridden Bulldogs that ever-needed ingredient: Intelligence. It's the same reason why players like Matt Ryan are successful.

Recently, pre-med student-athlete Myron Rolle of the Florida State Seminoles was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University. His teammates ragged on him constantly, but "whenever there is a debate that goes on in the locker room about whether tomatoes are really red or whether there's a country in North Africa named Algeria, they'll ask [Myron].

"They don't go to Google, they go to Myron."

When conventional wisdom says athletes are not as smart as the general student body, players like Rolle and Burnette are subverting the paradigm. Consider the positive impact a nerdy teammate could have on the often-thuggish Bulldogs. With his influence, study hours could turn into exercising the crucial muscle – you know that lump three feet above your ass. It’s about time the Bulldogs seek intelligence and reject investing in ignorance.

*Referring to the large number of football players who enroll in the Swahili, Yuroba, and Zulu languages offered at UGA

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Heisman Preview: Can Tebow Repeat?

Tomorrow night the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner will be crowned. Only three players were invited to the ceremony this year: Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford, Texas QB Colt McCoy, and Florida QB Tim Tebow, who won the award a year ago as a sophomore. Mike Leach's boys at Texas Tech have a legitimate beef with this as QB Graham Harrell amassed more yards than Bradford (and won as many games) and WR Michael Crabtree may be the most talented player in the country (or Percy Harvin, who isn't here either). The NCAA leaders in rushing yards (Donald Brown, UConn, 1822 yards), receiving yards (Austin Collie, BYU, 1419 yards) and passing yards (Case Keenum, Houston, 4,768 yards) are also nowhere to be found.

Also staying at home are both of the highly-touted Georgia Bulldogs who were projected to be in the mix before the season. In fact, Knowshon's 1338 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns both fall short of Michigan State's Javon Ringer, who he'll be facing in the Capitol One Bowl. The three guys that were chosen, however, were the best players in the country this season. But wouldn't it have been nice to have invited a couple more guys? I'm sure its a great feeling to get the call to that ceremony.

Before I give my pick, here's the stats for the Heisman invitees:

Sam Bradford (QB, Oklahoma): 4,464 passing yards, 53 total touchdowns (5 rush), 186.29 rating
Colt McCoy (QB, Texas): 4,021 total yards (576 rush), 42 total touchdowns (10 rush), 179.20 rating
Tim Tebow (QB, Florida): 3,079 total yards (564 rush), 40 total touchdowns (12 rush), 176.74 rating

My pick: Colt McCoy.
Why? He beat Bradford head-to-head. Bradford's out. He has better stats all-around than Tim Tebow (including rushing yards!). And for good measure, Tebow won it last year when he had a better year, so he shouldn't win it again. Call it McCoy's consolation prize for not being given a chance to play for the National Championship.

We'll find out the winner tomorrow night at 8pm. In the meantime, go vote in our poll!

*It should be noted that today Tim Tebow received the Maxwell Award, given to the best all-around player in the country. He won this award last year, and is now only the second player in history to receive the award twice. Could this be foreshadowing tomorrow night's ceremony?
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Dwyer Named ACC Player of the Year

[SOURCES AJC] [ACC] [Sporting News]


Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer has been named 2008 ACC Player of the Year. The sophomore ran for 1,328 yards and scored 12 touchdowns for the 9-3 Jackets. Dwyer follows WR Calvin Johnson (2006) and QB Joe Hamilton (1999) as the only Yellow Jackets to win the award. Dwyer was at his best this year in a key game against Florida State, totaling 175 yards and 2 touchdowns. Read Full Article!