Jordan looking for a successful senior year after major injury
FAIRFIELD, CT (BVM) — Growing up in Birmingham, Ala., Jayden Jordan was inspired to play football at a young age due to being an Alabama football fanatic. Jordan, a senior accounting major at Sacred Heart University (SHU), started taking the sport seriously when he was in middle school.
“I got my first individual football award when I was selected to the All-Metro South Conference team,” said Jordan. “This was also in 2012 when the video game NCAA College Football was a big deal and it made me really take football serious so that one day I could be playing NCAA and control myself in the video game.”
That next year Jordan started attending Hoover High School in Hoover, Ala. He was on the varsity team for three years, winning championships in his sophomore and senior years. Jordan also won his conference’s defensive player of the year award during his senior year while playing at safety.
“Hoover is a high school football powerhouse and plays a national schedule every year which gave me a love for the big-time games,” said Jordan. “My senior year was big for me. I got named a team captain and also selected to the all-regional team.”
His senior year got the attention of NCAA programs, where he was going on constant visits around the country. Ultimately, Jordan chose to commit to SHU, and not only for their football program, but for their education as well.
“The things about Sacred Heart that I thought were interesting is that it has an amazing business school which was good for my major, it snowed up here which was something completely new to me,” said Jordan. “I knew I wanted to major in accounting and my parents always told me the importance of education.”
He was redshirted for his freshman year, which Jordan explained was not a big deal to him because he found it smoother to transition into the student-athlete life.
In 2018, his sophomore year, he played in all of SHU’s 11 games at free safety. He recorded the third-most tackles on the team with 54 total tackles (33 solo, 21 assists). Jordan also led the Pioneers in interceptions with two, both coming in the same game against St. Francis University. SHU also won a share of the Northeast Conference (NEC) championship.
In Jordan’s junior year, he led the team in solo tackles with 33 as well as placing third again in total tackles, this time with 53. But, Jordan didn’t know he was playing a part of the season injured before it was too late.
“During my junior year I tore the labrum in my left hip but didn’t know initially so I finished out the season,” said Jordan. “When I later found out the severity of my injury it scared me because I had never had surgery before and it’s a hip surgery; I’m only 21.”
Getting surgery as an athlete could be demoralizing for most, but Jordan tried to look at the positives and learn from his junior year.
“Despite my fears though I saw an opportunity as well,” said Jordan “More than anything though the injury itself taught me to listen to my body. Just because I was able to run and do all the things to finish out the season I shouldn’t have because of how much pain it was causing.”
Due to COVID-19, Jordan’s senior season has been postponed until further notice. He is cleared for full-contact after his successful surgery.
