I sure didn’t until Aaron Levine mentioned him on his nightly show, Q it Up Sports. Levine described Portis as extremely athletic and an interesting storyline, so I thought it would be a good idea to investigate this man further.
Portis attended three high schools and then three colleges before he found his way to Seattle. He even talked about that in an interview with Seahawks.com, stating that, "It's been a journey for me. It's not a regular three-year, four-year college career. It's been school, to school, to school. I had obstacles that I overcame. It's made me a better person and I'm out here enjoying football. I'm playing football."
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He stated during Levine’s interview that he knows multiple offenses, as his college career consisted of going to Florida for a year (before Tim Tebow), Maryland, and then finally California University which is in Pennsylvania, not California.
In 2009 at California University, he passed for a school-record 3,421 yards and 36 touchdowns. But rather than enter the NFL Draft, Portis decided another season at the Division II school would be beneficial. Last season, he completed 62 percent of his passes for 2,651 yards and 33 TDs.
After that performance, the Seahawks decided to give Portis a shot at making the team as an undrafted free agent; he hasn’t disappointed.
“I am really, really excited about Josh,” Pete Carroll said. “He’s just been a real pleasant surprise, so we’re real excited about him being the third guy right now.
“Josh is a guy that I’ve known for so long, since he was a kid,” Carroll also said. “And now to see him after all those travels that he’s been through – whether it was high school or college.”
So how much will we be seeing him in the preseason game, where we can really see if he’s a viable backup QB?
“He’ll play a lot in the San Diego game, so we’re looking forward to seeing him get out on the field,” Carroll said. “He’s just got those normal humps he’s got to get over and it’s going to take some time. But all the raw stuff is there. We’re excited about him.”
It seems like Pete Carroll is putting a lot of time and effort into Josh, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a battle for the back-up quarterback spot between Portis and Charlie Whitehurst begins to ensue after today’s game.
But let’s be realistic. Portis will probably end up being the 3rd string practice squad guy this season, but there’s always the possibility of him being the no. 2 guy next season if Whitehurst doesn’t come back.
Needless to say, just like Pete Carroll I’m excited about watching Josh Portis play tonight vs. the San Diego Chargers at 5:00 on ESPN.
Reach Nathan Parsons at nathanparsons98@yahoo.com
