Idaho safety Jayshawn Jordan taking advantage of second chance
MOSCOW, Idaho – Jayshawn Jordan says he saw the light before spring workouts began. He had one more season to play college football after recovering from a debilitating injury, and it felt like a second chance.
The Idaho cornerback-turned-safety made up his mind early on: He was going to soak in every snap of practice, enjoy every moment of the 2016 season.
And there might not be a sweeter moment for the Seattle native than entering Husky Stadium on Saturday.
Jordan, who graduated a few miles from Washington’s campus at O’Dea High School, will play a key role in the secondary for Vandals (1-0) as they square off against the No. 8 Huskies (2 p.m., Pac-12 Network). Idaho is a 37-point underdog.
This will be Jordan’s first game at Husky Stadium, though he participated in football camps and other activities there when he was young. He hopes to have more than 20 family and friends on hand – but that’s only inside the stadium he grew up so close to.
“… On top of that, there’s probably going to be family that’s not even going to get into the game,” he said. “(They’re) just going to be outside. This is home for me.”
Jordan, a 5-foot-10, 186-pound redshirt senior, played in 33 games at cornerback for the Vandals from 2012 to 2014. Three weeks into last season he took a shot to the leg that resulted in either a torn quad muscle or deep thigh contusion.
Initially he thought he might be able to return in a few weeks, but a month into his injury, “I realized I probably wasn’t going to come back.”
After getting hurt, Jordan said he wasn’t able to walk for several weeks, and he couldn’t run for two to three months. He ended up redshirting and getting an extra year of eligibility – what’s in effect a second senior year.
“He knows he’s blessed with a second opportunity to come back,” cornerbacks coach Aric Williams said.
In the spring, the coaching staff asked Jordan to switch to safety to provide depth and leadership to a crew that needed both. He agreed to the move and said it’s been fun.
Jordan considers himself a physical defensive back. At safety, he gets to run free and deliver hits, something that suits him better than the precision that’s required at cornerback. He also gets to team up with 6-2, 220-pound Russell Siavii, the Vandals’ other starting safety.
“I think we complement each other well,” he said of Siavii. “I told him it’s kind of weird because I’m smaller and he’s bigger, but I consider myself thunder and he’s lightning.”
Idaho defensive coordinator Mike Breske considers Jordan the leader of UI’s defensive backfield. That mantle carries the responsibility of showing younger players “how to play the game correctly and what Vandal football means,” Breske said.
It helps that Jordan’s a solid technician. Breske said he didn’t miss a tackle in the Vandals’ 20-17 victory over Montana State to open the season. He finished with six tackles and one pass breakup.
“He’s small, but he’ll hit you,” Williams said. “He’ll bring everything he’s got. And he’s got a chip on his shoulder, and that’s good as a DB to play with a little chip on your shoulder.”
This semester Jordan is taking the final two classes to complete his accounting degree. He’s ready to be done with what’s been a “long, long process going to school and everything,” he said.
Even though he has time left in his career and in the classroom, he’s started to take stock of his time in Moscow.
He got another chance to play football. He’s helped the Vandals improve after several lean years. He’s persevered academically. And he gets to play a game this weekend in his hometown.
“Things are on the (upswing) right now for us,” Jordan said. “I’m really excited about this game and the opportunity we have to come away with a win going back home.”