Commitment Spotlight: Ty Jordan

Ty Jordan has been a familiar name for many Texas fans who follow recruiting. The talented running back from West Mesquite was offered by Texas over a year ago. When it became clear the Longhorns were most likely going to take 2 running backs in the 2020 class, Jordan seemed like an ideal fit for one of those spots. A month ago, Texas locked up their first running back commit in Bijan Robinson, allowing the coaching staff to shift their focus to Jordan and the second available spot. The long-standing relationship and early offer to Jordan ultimately paid off, as he decided to lock up his spot in the Texas class and become the newest commit.

Jordan ranks as the 11th best running back in the country and 426th player overall, according to the 247sports composite rankings. The Longhorns edged out USC and Tennessee for his services.

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Three Best Traits:

• Acceleration – Jordan has elite acceleration with the ball in his hands. He hits holes quickly and gets into the second level with seemingly no effort. Many of his highlights feature him making one cut and getting upfield in a hurry.

• Versatility – With his acceleration and speed, there are several different ways Jordan can be utilized in the Texas offense. He has experience running between the tackles, taking the ball on jet sweeps and in the return game.
• Toughness – For someone his size, Jordan really stands out with his ability to fight for extra yardage. He rarely goes down on first contact and always keeps his legs moving. [/one-half-first]

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Areas for Improvement:

• Durability – The biggest knock on Jordan when people look at him will be his size and if he will be able to hold up at the college level. Despite the fact he will likely not be asked to run between the tackles as frequently as he was in high school, he will still need to add some weight to allow him to take some hits.

• Pass catching – Jordan has some experience lining up at receiver and taking throws from out of the backfield, but there is a high likelihood he is asked to do it often at Texas. He will need to continue to show he is able to use his acceleration and speed outside a traditional running back role. [/one-half]

Summary

Overall, Jordan’s game and skillset is an excellent compliment to fellow 2020 RB commit Bijan Robinson. Jordan possesses the acceleration and speed to really do damage in space. His film at West Mesquite makes it look like he is running circles around defenders at certain points. Despite his size, Jordan also shows some promise running between the tackles. He does not waste many steps and is quick to hit the hole. He shows the ability to fight for extra yards and rarely goes down the first time he is touched. Jordan will need to continue to improve as a pass catcher and receiver out of the backfield, but his overall game translates very well to what Texas is looking for offensively.

Final Verdict

Jordan will join a running back room looking to add more depth. Keaontay Ingram, Jordan Whittington and Derrian Brown will be the only scholarship running backs following the 2019 season, so the opportunity may be there for Jordan to carve out a role as a freshman. The Texas coaches have to be thrilled with the pair of backs they reeled in for the 2020 class considering a few short months ago, it was thought the Longhorns did not lead for any of the running backs they were chasing.