UM Tight End Brevin Jordan Says He's Ready for a Big Year, and You Tend to Believe Him

Miami's Brevin Jordan, regarded among the nation's top three tight ends, is back and said he's better than ever

You get the feeling Brevin Jordan, the University of Miami junior tight end, will have a huge season this year, the type that catapults him to All-America status, the type that could make him a first-round NFL draft pick.

It’s not just the raw talent possessed by the two-time All-ACC selection. And it’s not just the opportunities he’ll have by moving all over the field in offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee’s new system.

It’s Jordan himself. Jordan, generally regarded as one of the nation’s top three tight ends after Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth and Florida’s Kyle Pitts, is the reason you believe he’ll do something special this season.

Even though Jordan was held out of Sunday's scrimmage for precautionary reasons, there’s a certain conviction in Jordan’s voice that gives him credibility. You hear it when Jordan talks about the heartbreak of last season, when he missed the final four games with a left foot/ankle injury, and the grind of the rehabilitation process.

“My fuel was seeing my team,” said Jordan, who was one of three finalists last season for the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s best tight end. “We lost to FIU, we lost to Duke, and we lost to (Louisiana) Tech. I was in a dark place with my life. I was so just hurt, just sick.

“I was like, ‘Man, I came to The U to make plays and win championships and I’m not even on the field to help my team.' That just drove me. I was just up late nights, early mornings, grinding. I’ve never worked so hard on my life to get back on this field. Y’all don’t even know. I grinded day in and day out.”

There’s also a certain maturity and awareness that’s rare for a player of Jordan’s age and accomplishment. He doesn't brag unnecessarily. Listen to him talk about himself, for example.

“I don’t think I’m the best tight end in the country because I couldn’t stay on the field last year,” he said. “You can’t prove you are the best if you can’t be on the court, on the field, in the ring, wherever it is. My main thing is to be healthy this year.”

Jordan, the nation’s No. 1 tight end recruit in 2018 out of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, where he was teammates with UM quarterback Tate Martell and safety Bubba Bolden, was on his way to an outstanding season in 2019 before sustaining his injury.

Jordan still had 35 receptions for 495 yards and two touchdowns, which and earned All-ACC honors for the second year. That was a nice follow-up to a freshman season in which he posted 32 receptions for 287 yards and four touchdowns.

Tight ends coach Stephen Field said Jordan is ready for a big year.

“Brevin looks really good,” Field said. “He’s running really well. He’s very strong right now in his blocking. He’s really impressed me, just continuing to get in shape.”

And Jordan maintains he’s definitely in shape. He said the rehabilitation process got him in good shape.

“The process was hard,” he said. “I probably worked the hardest I’ve ever worked. I was waking up at 5 a.m. every day. I was in the facility until 9 (p.m.) every day. It was such a hard process. I don’t really know how to explain it. But it all paid off. I feel great. I’m back better than ever.”