Joshua Allen Portis (born July 14, 1987) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. He was highly touted as one of the nation's top

dual-threat quarterback In gridiron football, a dual-threat quarterback, also known as a running quarterback, is a quarterback (QB) who possesses the skills and physique to run with the ball if necessary. With the rise of several blitz heavy defensive schemes and increa ...

prospects out of high school. Portis attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

for one season and then transferred to the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

. In 2009, he transferred again to Division II

California University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Western University, California (commonly known as PennWest California) is a public university campus in California, Pennsylvania and one of three campuses of Pennsylvania Western University, part of the Pennsylvania State System o ...

, where he set school records with 3,421 passing yards, 36

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s and 3,870 total offensive yards throwing. Portis was signed by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

out of college in 2011. He was also a member of the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

and

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL), and the

Washington Valor The Washington Valor were a professional arena football team based in Washington, D.C. that played in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2017 to 2019. The team's home arena was the Capital One Arena. The Valor were owned by Monumental Sports an ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(AFL).

Early years

Portis grew up in Woodland Hills in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

with his mother Patricia Portis. He initially attended

Redondo Union High School Redondo Union High School (RUHS) is a public high school in Redondo Beach, California. Redondo Union High School is a part of the Redondo Beach Unified School District. All residents of Redondo Beach are zoned to Redondo Union. In addition, resid ...

, where he played junior varsity for one year. After his mother had a disagreement with the head coach over playing time, Portis transferred to

Long Beach Polytechnic High School Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a four-year public high school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States. The school serves portions of Long Beach, including Bixby ...

, and then again to William Howard Taft High School. At Taft, he was a two-year letter-winner at

. He threw for 2,294 yards, 36 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, and ran for 865 yards and 13 touchdowns. As a senior, he was named an all-state player, league offensive player of the year, and a Los Angeles first-team all-city player.

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...

assessed him as the fifth-best

in the nation. He was highly recruited out of high school and received offers from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

College career

Portis attended college at Florida for one season and saw action in six games. In 2005, he made six out of 11 completions for 81 yards. He threw one interception and was sacked three times. He was Florida's fourth-leading rusher with 163 yards on 24 carries. He transferred to Maryland in 2006 and was required by

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

rules to sit out for a season. In 2007, he was caught cheating on an exam and suspended for the season under the university's honor code policy. In 2008, Portis mostly substituted for starting quarterback Chris Turner for one option play at a time. He completed one of three pass attempts for four yards and made 31 carries for 186 rushing yards and a touchdown. Portis' playing time decreased throughout the season, with him seeing action on just eight plays in the last half of the season. On January 7, 2009, it was announced that Portis would transfer to

in the spring semester. Since the school competes at the Division II level, he had two years of eligibility remaining with the

California Vulcans The California Vulcans are the intercollegiate sports teams and players that represent Pennsylvania Western University California (PennWest California; known before July 2022 as California University of Pennsylvania), located in California, Pen ...

. He started the season-opener, in which eighth-ranked California lost to unranked , 23–17, and recorded 14 completions on 31 attempts for 145 yards and two interceptions, and led the team in rushing with 12 carries for 82 yards. In that one game, he exceeded his previous combined career pass attempts of 14.Patrick Stevens
Paging Portis
, ''The Washington Times'', August 27, 2009. After dropping the second game, 17-10, to sixth-ranked

Bloomsburg University Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom) is a campus of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and it is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The ...

, Portis turned his team around and threw for 202 yards in a 30-23 Cal U win over

West Chester University West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the Middle ...

. Portis now leads the

Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The conference was originally formed in 1951 as the State Teachers C ...

with 18 touchdown passes, a passer rating of 179.4, and led the Vulcans to their 5th straight PSAC West Championship. In the Division II semifinals against second-ranked Northwest Missouri State, Portis completed 20 of 36 pass attempts for a career-high of 367 yards and three touchdowns, but California fell, 56–31. Upon the conclusion of the season, Portis had set school records with 3,421 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and 3,870 total offensive yards. He declined to enter the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...

, and said, "I think my best chance at the pros is to stay at California another year."Cal won't lose Portis to NFL
''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', December 26, 2009. In 2010, Portis was charged with theft, receiving stolen property, and fraud for using a stolen credit card at a mall near

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks (first stint)

Portis was signed by the

as an

following the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

on July 26, 2011. He made the Seahawks roster on September 3 behind starter

Tarvaris Jackson Tarvaris D'Andre Jackson (April 21, 1983 – April 12, 2020) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Jackson played college football for both Alabama State and Arkansas. He played professionally for the ...

. On August 11, 2011, against the Chargers, he went 5 for 6 for 69 yards and 1 touchdown in a preseason win. Portis was cut by the Seahawks on August 31, 2012 and signed to their practice squad on September 1, 2012. He was then again released from the Seahawks on May 21, 2013 after a May 5 DUI arrest.

Toronto Argonauts (first stint)

On March 8, 2013, Portis was signed by the

of the

Seattle Seahawks (second stint)

Portis was re-signed by the Seahawks on April 3, 2013 to a two-year contract. On May 21, Portis was waived after news surfaced of his DUI arrest.

Toronto Argonauts (second stint)

Portis re-signed with Toronto on June 2, 2013.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

On July 15, 2014, Portis was traded to the

. Following the

2014 CFL season Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an unrele ...

, Portis resigned with the Blue Bombers prior to becoming a

free-agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. On June 29, 2015, Portis was released from the Bombers.

Washington Valor

On May 24, 2017, Portis was assigned to the

of the

. He was placed on reassignment on July 20, 2017. On March 21, 2018, he was assigned to the Valor. On May 7, 2018, he was placed on reassignment. On May 14, 2018, he was assigned to the Valor. On May 17, 2018, he was placed on reassignment.

Personal life

He is the cousin of retired

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

running back

Clinton Portis Clinton Earl Portis (born September 1, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. He was drafted b ...

.Player Bio: Josh Portis
, University of Maryland Terrapins football official website, retrieved January 11, 2009. On May 5, 2013, Portis was arrested for

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

, and had a blood alcohol level of 0.092, .012 higher than the state of Washington's limit.

References

External links

Stats Crew profile

Former Terps QB is California dreamin'
''The Washington Times'', August 16, 2009.

''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', August 6, 2008.
Terps can't dig deep for answers at QB: Loss of Portis, transfers leaves position thin
''The Baltimore Sun'', September 3, 2007.
Portis speeds up Terps' QB debate
''The Baltimore Sun'', August 29, 2007.

''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

'', September 12, 2007.
Portis leads Cal U past Gannon
'' Trib Total Media'', September 21, 2009.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portis, Josh 1987 births Living people People from Woodland Hills, Los Angeles American football quarterbacks Canadian football quarterbacks Maryland Terrapins football players Florida Gators football players California Vulcans football players Players of American football from Los Angeles Seattle Seahawks players Toronto Argonauts players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Washington Valor players William Howard Taft Charter High School alumni Players of Canadian football from Los Angeles