LOS ANGELES — USC running back Waymond Jordan jumped into the media scrum surrounding Kilian O’Connor on Tuesday afternoon, shifting his weight as he eagerly waited to ask a question.
“Has the offensive line coordinated a dance for Friday yet?”
Jordan, who admitted to reporters that he’s always teasing the O-line, seemed at ease after finding out that he’ll be the starting running back in Saturday’s season opener against Missouri State.
It will very likely be the biggest crowd the junior college transfer has ever played in front of.
“I just want to see everything,” Jordan told reporters. “I’ve never been in the Coli while it’s been full, so it’s going to be awesome to see that for the first time.”
Full-contact periods are declining in college football due to safety concerns, which gives coaching staffs fewer opportunities to fully evaluate players.
Even with limited tackling, however, Riley was convinced that Jordan was starting material.
“(Running back is) probably the hardest position offensively to evaluate in all this because so much of that is breaking tackles and getting tackled live,” the coach told reporters on Tuesday.
“We’ve obviously seen Waymond carry the ball a lot. He’s had a lot of college carries, so I think there’s a confidence there. And that, combined with what we saw on the practice field, we felt like he was the most steady guy.”
Jordan credited a competitive and supportive running back room for his rise to the top of the depth chart as well as running backs coach Anthony Jones, Jr., who celebrated a birthday on Tuesday.
Other running backs who could see playing time on Saturday and beyond include Eli Sanders, Bryan Jackson and King Miller.
“We really preach in the running back room, just try to treat every rep as a game rep,” Jordan said. “And that helps us for the game days, making every rep a game rep.”
Jordan, a 5-foot-9, 210-pounder, was the No. 1 junior college running back in the country according to multiple recruiting websites. He rushed for 1,614 yards and 20 touchdowns on 218 carries to help Kansas’ Hutchinson Community College become a national champion.
He was also named the 2024 NJCAA Division I Football Offensive Player of the Year. It was a journey, especially considering he hadn’t played running back until high school.
Quarterback was his primary position growing up, which allowed him to develop the vision that helps him find open spaces as a running back now.
Jordan seems itching to get on the field on Saturday, and it might be difficult to keep him off of it. His favorite part of game week is the game itself.
“All the energy and being able to be on the sideline with my defense,” Jordan said. “Honestly, I love cheering for the defense. You’re probably going to see on Saturday. I’m gonna be almost on the field cheering for them hard because I love all of them on defense.”
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