Is Joshua Dobbs an “average guy” at Stanford?

That’s the case that was recently made by ESPN Pac-12 writer Ted Miller:

And to be honest, reading that quote made us a little sick to our stomach.

The cocktail of arrogance and ignorance is hard to swallow.

Sure, Stanford is an elite school that should make all Americans proud with its standards for innovation and academic excellence. And, hey, their football team happens to be pretty darn good as well.

Gaining acceptance to the world’s No. 4 university and subsequently earning a degree there makes you one of the cream of America’s crop.

An “average guy” at Stanford is still likely an excellent student by global standards.

We’re not here to dispute that sentiment.

But what we will dispute is that Joshua Dobbs attending the University of Tennessee somehow diminishes the quality of person we have watched blossom here in the SEC for the last three years.

And furthermore, we’ll call out Mr. Miller for trying to minimize or trivialize a great role model for many kids in the Southeast for the sake of filing some ridiculously contrived “hot take” for ESPN.

Joshua Dobbs is a “fantastic story” no matter what uniform he puts on each Saturday or which university’s classroom he walks into on Monday morning.

As SEC fans, you’ve probably heard it all before, but it bears repeating.

He’s a former 4.0 high school student that walked into a major university as an aerospace engineering major and immediately contributed at the most complex position on the football field.

He’s the recipient of the William H. Cannon Athletic Engineering Scholarship at Tennessee, interned at Pratt & Whitney last summer, where he worked at the world leader in design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines for the United States government, and has been on the SEC academic honor the last two seasons.

That’s not to mention his leadership on the field for the Vols, where he was awarded the Peyton Manning Leadership Award in 2015.

“Being a good student and a good athlete are not mutually exclusive,” says Dobbs. “Being successful at both takes a lot of determination, practice and time management skills.”

But we’re not stopping there, Mr. Miller.

Dobbs also receives recognition for the type of person he is in the community as well.

Just last month, Dobbs missed a spring practice to return to his native Georgia to receive the Amateur “Peach of an Athlete” Role Model Award at the 32nd annual Peach of an Athlete (POA) Role Model Banquet at the College Football Hall of Fame, according to 247Sports.

Tennessee coach Butch Jones summed it up pretty nicely:

“He embodies what a student athlete is, and I know (his parents) Stephanie and Robert have done such a tremendous job of raising him. He embodies everything that we stand for.”

Which is why it is disappointing that Dobbs even caught wind of what Miller said about him.

Dobbs tweeted a message in response to that Tweet late Wednesday, which has since been deleted:

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The truth is, Miller doesn’t know Dobbs. And that’s why his comment was so out of bounds.

Miller is best left comparing Dobbs’ on the field product to that of the conference he covers for ESPN.