Jordan Jefferson facts for kids
Jefferson (#9) at LSU
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| No. 9 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | August 25, 1990 Covington, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 223 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Destrehan (LA) | ||||||||||
| College: | LSU (2008–2011) | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2012 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career Arena statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at CFL.ca (archive) | |||||||||||
| Player stats at ArenaFan.com | |||||||||||
Jordan Jamal Jefferson (born August 25, 1990) is an American former professional football quarterback. A quarterback is the player who leads the team's offense and throws the ball. He played college football for the LSU Tigers from 2008 to 2011. After college, he was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012.
Early Life and High School Football
Jordan Jefferson grew up in St. Rose, Louisiana. He went to Destrehan High School in Destrehan, Louisiana. At high school, he was known as one of the best young quarterbacks in the country.
In 2006, during his junior year, Jordan led Destrehan to a great 6–0 start. However, he broke his wrist during a game. Even with the injury, he completed 81 of 143 passes for 1,666 yards. He also threw 20 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. This showed he was a very good passer.
During his senior year in 2007, Jordan helped Destrehan High School win the Class 5A state championship. His team finished the season with a perfect 15–0 record. He completed 188 of 290 passes for 2,846 yards. He threw 24 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. For his amazing performance, he was named the Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year. He also made the Class 5A All-State first-team.
Jordan finished his high school football career with a perfect record as a starting quarterback. He won all 21 games he started. Many sports magazines and websites recognized him as a top high school player.
College Football Career at LSU
Jordan Jefferson played college football for the LSU Tigers. He played from 2008 to 2011.
2008 Season: A Strong Start
As a freshman in 2008, Jordan played in seven games. He started two of them. One of these starts was in the 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in that game. LSU won the bowl game 38–3 against Georgia Tech.
2009 Season: Youngest Starter
In 2009, Jordan was a sophomore. He became the youngest starting quarterback in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The SEC is a major college sports league. He was also the youngest to start a season-opener for LSU since 1945. He started 12 of LSU's 13 games. He missed one game due to an injury. As a starter, he won 8 games and lost 4. He threw for 2,166 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. LSU lost the 2010 Capital One Bowl to the Penn State Nittany Lions by a score of 19–17.
2010 Season: Sharing Duties
During the 2010 season, Jordan shared quarterback duties with another player, Jarrett Lee. Jordan threw for 1,253 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. He also ran for 450 yards and 7 touchdowns. Both of these rushing stats were records for an LSU quarterback. He helped the Tigers achieve a 10–2 record in the regular season. LSU then beat the Texas A&M Aggies 41–24 in the 2011 Cotton Bowl Classic. In that game, Jordan threw for 158 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also ran for 67 yards and 1 touchdown.
Jordan made a very important pass to running back Stevan Ridley in a game against Alabama on November 6. This play helped the Tigers win the game 24–21.
2011 Season: Overcoming Challenges
Jordan faced a temporary suspension at the start of the 2011 season. He was later allowed to rejoin the team.
He returned to play in the fifth game of the season against Kentucky. On his very first play, he scored LSU's first touchdown. This gave LSU a lead they kept for the rest of the game. In his first four games back, he completed 6 of 10 passes for 123 yards. He threw 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Big Game Against Alabama
On November 5, LSU played Alabama again. Jordan was brought into the game at key moments. After an interception by Jarrett Lee, Jordan came in to lead the offense. He helped LSU drive 74 yards to tie the game before halftime. In overtime, Jordan made a smart play that set up the game-winning field goal for LSU.
After this game, Jordan started the final five games of the year.
Strong Finish to the Regular Season
Jordan's final three regular season games were LSU's best in 2011 for total yards gained. In all three games, LSU gained over 450 yards. Before this, LSU had only done that once in nine games. Jordan had a perfect game passing against Ole Miss. He also passed for over 200 yards against Arkansas. When Jordan started as quarterback, LSU scored almost 10 more points per game. They also nearly doubled their rushing yards. Jordan finished the regular season with a high passer rating.
Post-Season Games
Jordan led LSU to a big 42–10 win over Georgia in the 2011 SEC Championship Game. LSU then played in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. Jordan found it tough against Alabama's defense in this game. Even though he completed almost 65% of his passes, the offense struggled to move the ball.
College Career Statistics
During his college career, Jordan Jefferson threw for 4,733 yards and 34 touchdowns. As of 2020, he ranks sixth for career wins by a starting quarterback at LSU with 24 wins. He is also tied for seventh in LSU history for passing touchdowns (34). He holds the LSU record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,018 yards. His ability to run the ball made it harder for opposing teams to defend LSU's rushing attack.
| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||
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| GP | GS | Cmp | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| 2008 | 5 | 2 | 36 | 73 | 419 | 83.8 | 4 | 1 | 49 | 134 | 2.7 | 1 |
| 2009 | 12 | 12 | 182 | 296 | 2,166 | 180.5 | 17 | 7 | 112 | 171 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 2010 | 13 | 13 | 119 | 209 | 1,411 | 108.5 | 7 | 10 | 123 | 450 | 3.7 | 7 |
| 2011 | 9 | 5 | 61 | 100 | 737 | 81.9 | 6 | 2 | 75 | 263 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Totals | 39 | 32 | 398 | 678 | 4,733 | 121.4 | 34 | 20 | 359 | 1,018 | 2.8 | 12 |
Professional Football Career
After college, Jordan Jefferson tried to play professional football.
NFL Scouting Combine
Jordan was one of eight LSU players invited to the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine. This is an event where college players show their skills to professional teams. Jordan performed very well. He was the only quarterback to rank in the top five for every test. He finished first in the 20-yard shuttle and tied for first in the bench press. He was also third in the 40-yard dash and the vertical jump.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Even though he did well at the Combine, Jordan was not chosen in the 2012 NFL Draft. However, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers invited him to their rookie minicamp. They signed him to a contract on May 7, 2012. But he was released just four days later.
Montreal Alouettes
On August 10, 2012, Jordan signed with the Montreal Alouettes. This team plays in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was placed on their practice squad. He was later released by the Alouettes.
Pittsburgh Power
Jordan then signed with the Pittsburgh Power for the 2013 season. This team was part of the Arena Football League (AFL). He became their starting quarterback just one week before the season began.
Omaha Mammoths
In 2014, Jordan signed with the Omaha Mammoths. This team was in the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL). He was their starting quarterback. The Mammoths finished their first and only season in second place.
Coaching Career
In February 2019, Jordan Jefferson started a coaching career. He was hired as a graduate assistant coach for wide receivers at Colorado State.
Personal Life
Jordan has two brothers, Justin and Rickey. Both of his brothers also played college football at LSU. Justin was chosen 22nd overall in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. He now plays for the Minnesota Vikings.
