Josh Nurse
Former Blinn College football player Josh Nurse recently signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens and immediately jumped back to all the memories that led up to the moment.
“About two hours after I got the call, I was filled with excitement and started thinking back over the years to the moment I came out of high school, my time at Georgia Military and Blinn, and what led me to right now,” Nurse said. “I was like, ‘Man, you accomplished something great and you should proud of yourself. You are going somewhere that people dream of going.’”
Each day it sinks in a little more – like when he received a package full of Ravens gear – that he finally is on a NFL team. Although he spent the last three seasons in a prominent role on the University of Utah’s defense and special teams, his time as a junior college football player will never be forgotten.
“I take pride in being a junior college product because it is the road less traveled,” Nurse said. “If you work hard in junior college, no matter what the circumstances, you will make it through. The biggest thing I learned while I was at Blinn was if you focus on your own path and your own journey, then you will end up where you are supposed to.”
After one season with Georgia Military College, Nurse transferred to Blinn. Although he had never been to Texas, the Georgia native knew about Blinn’s football program because of former Buccaneer, Heisman Trophy, and Super Bowl quarterback Cam Newton.
“I knew that it was a good junior college that gets good exposure,” Nurse said. “I started doing my research on Blinn, saw that the tuition was affordable, and that on top of that it had a good football program, so I decided to go with it.”
In Spring 2016, Nurse arrived at the Blinn-Brenham Campus.
“Once I got to Blinn, I fell in love with it and loved the vibe that it gave me,” he said. “I loved how it was a true community college and that the community was so involved with Blinn. Football in Texas in general is such a big deal and I didn’t know that until I got there.”
Blinn has already certified 10 out-of-state players, so Nurse spent the 2016 season as a scout team player, where his role included getting the starting players ready for game days.
“I wanted to work hard, lead by example, and even though I couldn’t play, I treated practice as if it was my game,” Nurse said. “I went out every day and gave 100% and wanted to help the guys on the team get better, and I really believe that I did that.”
That season, Blinn had three NJCAA All-Americans, including safety Corrion Ballard, who signed with Utah mid-year and would end up being Nurse’s teammate and roommate for the next two seasons.
“Josh was a really special player and he helped our team get ready for any opponent,” said Blinn head coach Ryan Mahon. “It is a feel-good story because even though he didn’t get certified here, he kept fighting and got a Division I scholarship to play at the highest level that you possibly can in the Pac-12, and now he is playing in the NFL. That is every kid’s dream and he lived it. He is the definition of resiliency.”
While at Blinn, Nurse played wide receiver and was able to make the most of the season by compiling practice film against Blinn’s defensive backs, including Kendall Sheffield, who currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons.
“He had put together some really good film against Sheffield that Division I coaches were looking at and they began offering to him,” Mahon said.
Among the coaches who started recruiting Nurse was Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham.
“When Utah offered me a scholarship just based off watching me practice, a big weight was lifted off my shoulders and I couldn’t believe it,” Nurse said “My time at Blinn ended up being a blessing in disguise and taught me that patience was a virtue.”
Nurse signed with Utah that summer without even visiting the campus.
“I started talking to Corrion about Utah to see if he liked it there and I committed because I trusted his word and we had developed a bond,” Nurse said. “As much as I wanted to play for Blinn, I felt like that if I left to play Division I football that it would help me achieve my dream of playing in the NFL.”
Nurse and Ballard became best friends and roommates at Utah until Ballard, who recently played for the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks, signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
While at Utah, Nurse transitioned from offense to defense and finished his senior season as a starting cornerback. He totaled 27 tackles, tied for third on the team with six pass breakups, and had one sack as Utah finished the 2019 season ranked 11th in the nation.
“I am the most excited about what challenges are going to come next since I have been overcoming challenges since I was at Blinn and before that,” Nurse said. “I am ready to conquer them and feel like I can conquer anything now. I want to get acclimated so I can be the best NFL player I can be.”
Nurse joins three Buccaneers currently playing in the NFL: Dede Westbrook of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Damion Ratley of the Cleveland Browns, and Sheffield of the Falcons. Newton played for the Panthers in 2019 and is currently a free agent.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 41 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.