How cancer, mission to give back shaped SRU football’s JayJay Jordan into player, man he is
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — He was PSAC West Division Offensive Player of the Year last season.
He has won the division’s Offensive Player of the Week award in back-to-back weeks already this season.
Yet, Slippery Rock University senior running back JayJay Jordan’s college football career almost never got started.
A graduate of Berks Catholic and a Reading resident, Jordan was a three-sport star in high school with a promising future on the gridiron. But thoughts of a college career were not on his mind his senior year.
“My mom, dad and grandmother were all diagnosed with different types of cancer that year,” Jordan said. “As an 18-year-old kid, I was pretty scared. That was a rocky road. I just wanted to stay home and help my family through all of that.”
His parents had other ideas.
“They insisted I go to college,” Jordan said.
But he didn’t go far.
Jordan attended Division III Wilkes University — a 90-minute commute — and played football. While he rushed for 549 yards, averaging 8.8 yards per carry his freshman year, much of his production came from special teams. He tallied nearly 1,000 yards in kick and punt returns and was named the Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year.
“I didn’t stay in the dorms. I drove back and forth that hour and a half each day to get home and do what I could for my family,” Jordan said.
Jordan’s parents and grandmother are cancer-free today. Jordan transferred to The Rock in 2024. He played sparingly that season before blossoming into one of the top players in the PSAC last year.
Jordan tallied 1,375 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground in 2025. He caught 20 passes, as well. He wound up second in all of D-II in total yards per game.
“His cuts are unreal,” SRU coach Sawn Lutz said. “His instincts, the great speed and explosiveness make him a big-play threat every time he touches the ball.”
Yet, in The Rock’s opening game this year, Jordan carried the ball only seven times in his team’s 45-43 overtime victory over Minnesota-Duluth.
“I love getting the football. ... That just made me hungry,” Jordan said.
He’s been feeding off opposing defenses ever since.
Jordan rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns at East Stroudsburg. He ran for 142 yards and tied a school record with five touchdowns at Millersville. Both efforts landed him PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week honors.
“JayJay is just a special kid,” SRU offensive coordinator Joe Marella said. “Not only does he set up our play-action, he’s an effective receiver, as well. It’s nice knowing that the quarterback can just use an innocent check-down and JayJay can turn it into a big play.
“Get that guy the ball in space and he’s deadly.”
Jordan scored 10 touchdowns in SRU’s first three games. At that point, he ranked first in D-II in rushing touchdowns (nine) and points per game (20.0). He has 471 yards and is averaging 6.7 yards per carry for The Rock (4-0, 1-0), who have climbed to No. 8 in the AFCA Division II coaches poll after Saturday’s comeback win over California (Pa.).
“I’m still hungry,” Jordan said, laughing.
“He’s a coach’s dream,” Lutz said of Jordan. “He’s a people person. He’s one of the best three backs we’ve had since I’ve been around here. Shamar Greene, Wes Hills and him. ... JayJay is right there.”
Greene is going into the SRU Athletic Hall of Fame this year as the program’s all-time leading rusher. Hills went on to play for the NFL’s Detroit Lions.
Jordan is eyeing a shot at the NFL, as well. He graduates in May with a degree in sports management, a minor in leadership and a GPA above 3.0.
“He commands the locker room, speaks out on the bus, that’s just who he is,” Marella said. “Coming home from the (70-10) win at Millersville, JayJay was telling his teammates that didn’t mean we were getting extra points for our next game at California.
“JayJay had everyone focused on next week, just like that.”
One thing Jordan has always been focused on is giving back.
He was among 22 players, and one of three in Division II, nationwide to recently be named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his commitment to community service. The 22 will be honored Jan. 15 at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Jordan delivers holiday presents each year to young children in his hometown as part of JayJay’s Annual Holiday Gift Giveaway. He dresses up as Santa Claus and returns to the elementary school he attended to hand out presents.
“That’s my favorite day of the year,” he said.
He’s been volunteering for 2Hard2Guard — a youth athlete mentoring program run by his father — since he was a high school sophomore. He hosts free youth camps with his father in Reading Park. That’s a program designed to keep kids off the streets through involvement in sports and community building.
Locally, Jordan reads to students at Slippery Rock Elementary through the Read Across America program. He attends career days at local middle schools and volunteers at youth football camps.
“I like to help prepare kids for high school. That’s an important step in life,” he said.
Part of Jordan’s family heritage comes from Puerto Rico, and he’s been back there to help render hurricane relief aid, as well.
“Giving back is part of who I am,” Jordan said. “My parents have always been that way, and I grew up that way. That will never change.”
Jordan hopes to someday run his own nonprofit organization to give back to kids.
Lutz anticipates his standout running back giving back to himself next year. He sees Jordan transferring to a D-I program.
“He’ll have his degree from here,” the coach said. “JayJay will have a year of eligibility left. It will be time for him to go get some money, set himself up for the next level.
“No one deserves it more than him.”
