April 10, 2012
By Matt Winkeljohn
Sting Daily
For all the over-use of cliché in our age, there is one that fits Robert Godhigh. Why don’t we let the Georgia Tech A-back explain?
“I’ve been playing football since I was five, and the majority of the time it’s been about my height and me being shorter than everyone else,” he said. “So I’ve kind of had a chip on my shoulder to show everyone that even though I am short I can still play with everyone else.”
Beyond being 5-feet-7, Godhigh has encountered other hurdles at Tech. Simply put, he was not among the chosen; he was not really recruited by big schools. So, even though he had scholarship offers to smaller schools a few years ago when coming out of Harrison High, he opted to walk-on at Tech.
After red-shirting in 2009, he played on special teams in eight games in ’10, and appeared in half a dozen contests last season when he had two carries for 18 yards. There’s a growing chance that you’ll see more of him this fall.
With the graduation of Roddy Jones, and with Orwin Smith out this spring because of injury, there’s been more work than usual in spring practice for Godhigh and he’s making use of it.
Already respected for his quickness (think Tony Zenon, but stronger), the 190-pound junior has become all the more a pain in the ankles, knees and hips of Tech linebackers and safeties. This is not to say unequivocally that he’s the best blocker among the many A-backs on campus, but he’s in the conversation.
He’s carried the ball with some success, too, and caught a few passes.
Back to the blocking . . . it’s critical in Tech’s offense to have successful blockers on the edge and in space. A-backs and wide receivers have to get it done whether carrying the ball or not, whether catching it or not.
And Godhigh’s doing work. When he gets on you, you’re in for a battle because while he may not tickle the sky, there’s an Atlas factor that makes him formidable when he’s trying to get in your way or cut you down to the ground.
The young man can bench press nearly 400 pounds. To be more precise, he can get up slightly more than twice what than he weighs: 390-190. That ratio says strength. And Godhigh uses it.
He doesn’t seem like one to boast, however, sounding only slightly more seasoned than the redshirt junior he will be in the fall.
“I’m trying to get the basics down,” he said. “It’s definitely a little bit easier going through [spring practice] for my third time. I pretty much have everything down, and I’m trying to help others.”
Deep inside, Godhigh is thinking bigger than he might look. He could have gone to Wofford, Coastal Carolina, Western Carolina or other schools of similar ilk. He nearly did, in fact, before that chip bothered him so much that he changed his mind.
“I didn’t really have any offers from DI schools,” he said. “I was committed to Wofford, and I decided to de-commit and come here I guess because I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else who didn’t offer me that I could play at this level.”
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