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The story behind Southern football's #1 jersey

2 years 3 months 3 weeks ago Thursday, November 25 2021 Nov 25, 2021 November 25, 2021 6:00 PM November 25, 2021 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - Like LSU has the number 18, Southern has the number 1. It isn't given to a player with great athletic ability, but someone who excels in the classroom.

Former Jags Head Coach Dawson Odums brought the tradition of giving the jersey to the player with the highest GPA back in 2016, a tradition that has stuck with the team ever since.

"You know everyone wants to work single digit, and everyone loves the number 1. But in order to get the number 1, it has nothing to do with athletic ability. It's about how how you are in the classroom," Southern Head Coach Jason Rollins said.

This year, that player is Brian Jordan Jr.

"He's the definition of student-athlete, very unselfish. Would do anything for the team," Rollins said.

"It shows all the hard work I put in off the field in the library. Just writing papers, getting tests on as it's paying off," Senior Brian Jordan Jr. said.

Jordan not only has excelled in the classroom but on the field as well. He's worked his way from a walk-on to being the team's starting linebacker.

"He had to miss the spring season due to an ACL injury. And to watch how hard he worked to get back into shape to be ready for the fall, it's just all coming to fruition right now," Rollins said.

"It's been a rocky one. It's been up and down. It shows that the whole work is really does pay off," Jordan said.

The Bayou Classic will be Brian Jordan's last game as a Jag. The defensive back is currently finishing his master's degree in history.

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