UCLA QB Shining for Bruins Track and Field

UCLA quarterback Karson Gordon is not only an excellent football player, but also quite the track and field star as well.

Jul 29, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A detailed view of UCLA Bruins helmet during Pac-12 Media Day at Novo Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It's not often you see dual-sport collegiate athletes.

Most athletes do excel at more than one sport, but to do participate in more than one at the collegiate is a rarity.

UCLA quarterback Karson Gordon is a member of the small sample.

The 6-1, 171-pound athlete comes off his first season with the Blue and Gold, though didn't see any game action. But he's already making quite the impact with the school's men's track and field program.

On Friday, Gordon etched his name in program history, winning the men's triple jump at the Spokane Showcase, reaching 15.82 meters, the fifth-best mark in UCLA men's track and field history.

Gordon was a three-star football recruit out of Missouri City, Texas, where he played for Episcopal High School. Of course, he was also a track and field star.

Gordon was the Texas Gatorade Boys Track and Field Player of the Year in 2023. That same season, he won the Southwest Prep Conference triple jump championship. The year before, he came in fourth place in the triple jump at the Texas 6A state track and field championships.

Gordon had been ranked No. 44 on 247Sports' "2024 Freaks List," back when he had initially been committed to UNLV.

"In the state of Texas, it's not easy to make it to states for track and field," 247 Sports' Andrew Ivins had written. "Heck, it's not easy to even qualify for an area meet. So, you know if someone is named the Lone Star State's Gatorade Boys Track & Field Player of the Year for 2022-23 they have to be a bit of a Freak.

"Karson Gordon is just that. His personal-best mark of 51 feet, 5 3/4 inches in the triple jump ranked No. 1 in the country for all prep athletes this year. There aren't a ton of current NFL players who were prolific in the triple jump as high schoolers, but Gordon has already jumped further than former Olympian Marquise Goodwin, whose collegiate-best at Texas was 50 feet, 5 3/4 inches."

As of now, UCLA likely has its starting quarterback for the 2025 season with Joey Aguilar, but Gordon should be in contention for the backup spot.

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