Why Jacob Jordan Rejected Scholarships to be a Walk-On at Oklahoma

Jordan didn't even have a star as a recruit, but the 5-foot-9 receiver took a risk to walk on at OU and emerged as a star against South Carolina.

Oklahoma WR Jacob Jordan / Jacob Jordan via X

It’s never taken Jacob Jordan long to impress. 

Jordan, a walk-on true freshman receiver for Oklahoma, got his first real action as a Sooner on Saturday against South Carolina. He entered the game in the second quarter, and by halftime, he had caught three passes for 42 yards. He finished the game with six catches for 86 yards, which was tied for the most by a Sooner this season. 

“That’s exactly what we’ve been wanting,” running back Jovantae Barnes said. “We’ve been just, as leaders we’ve been saying there’s a lot of freshmen that have their opportunity to go in, but who’s going to go out there and take it over? I think he just did a good job with going out there and showing that, ‘No matter what it is, no matter who it is, I’m going to step up and do my job.’ He did an excellent job, and I’m just proud of him for going out there.”

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There was a time OU coach Brent Venables had to dare defensive backs to try to cover the 5-foot-9, 186-pound receiver from Southlake (TX) Carroll High School. There were no stars next to Jordan’s name on his 247Sports recruiting profile, but he had caught the attention of receivers coach Emmett Jones enough to get an invite to an OU camp two summers ago. With his stature and lack of recruiting profile, Jordan looked like an easy matchup for prospective defensive backs looking to stand out to OU’s coaching staff. But like Saturday night, they quickly learned that looks and stars can be deceiving.

Jordan was having such a spectacular showing that by the end of the day none of the defensive backs there wanted to match up with him anymore. As Venables put it, Jordan had “eviscerated” and “humiliated” defensive backs. When he stepped up during one-on-one drills, defenders put their heads down and went the other way. Venables was having to grab players to line up against Jordan so he could see what this kid was made of. And for certainly not the last time, Jordan had made a quick impression inside Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. 

“Man, I’m loving on him, and I said, ‘You could play here, 100 percent, what you do,’” Venables reminisced. “He’s really good. He’s super explosive. He knows how to run routes. All the little nuances, techniques on how do I get open, and he knows how. He’s got really good speed, but he’s got great lateral explosiveness and quickness and just a great burst. And he’s got fantastic hands.” 

After his showing at the camp, OU offered Jordan as a preferred walk-on. At the time, entering his senior year, he had only six offers: Fordham, Western Kentucky, North Texas, Tulsa, Texas Tech and Arkansas-Monticello. However, that Texas Tech offer came from Jones, who had since left for OU and now invited him to Norman. Despite a few scholarship offers where he’d be guaranteed financial aid and more likely to see the field, Jordan still chose to walk on at OU. 

“To be honest with you, it wasn't that hard for me,” Jordan said. “I was confident in my abilities, and I knew it was going to take a lot of work, obviously, but I was confident that I was going to be able to come in here and play. …

“But those schools I liked. But I don't know, it was just something about this place that I just felt like I would regret it if I didn't come here.”

And Jordan was right to bet on himself, even if it meant the cards needing to fall just right (or wrong?). Slot receiver Drake Stoops, who Jordan worked with during the offseason, had graduated and left to try to make an NFL roster. Deion Burks transferred from Purdue this offseason to fill in at that slot position before being sidelined the last three games because of injury. Burks is only one of five injured receivers on OU’s roster currently. It’s a position so decimated that OU has tried switching defensive backs with receiving experience in high school to the offensive side of the ball. 

Without a 100-yard receiver this season, the Sooners desperately went to a true freshman walk-on during an SEC game, with his only prior experience a brief appearance Week 1 in a blowout against Temple, in which he didn’t record a stat. 

“I mean, I always try to stay ready so I don’t have to get ready,” Jordan said. “So, I mean, just the preparation every week, just preparing as much as I can for the chance that I do get in. I think that’s what helped me succeed on Saturday.”

Before Saturday, there were no stats for Jordan. He was so unknown that on OU’s website there’s still no bio for Jordan. But he still stayed ready. And in his first real chance, the walk-on with no stars emerged as the star. 

“I hope to get more opportunities,” Jordan said, “and, like I said, I’m just going to stay ready so I don’t have to get ready and make the most of any opportunity I get out there.”