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Utah Coaches And Players React To Devastating News Regarding Ty Jordan

After news broke early Saturday morning that Utah freshman running back Ty Jordan passed away at home in Texas, Utah coaches and players took to social media to show love and support
Ryan Kostecka|
Utah Coaches And Players React To Devastating News Regarding Ty Jordan
Utah Coaches And Players React To Devastating News Regarding Ty Jordan

It's a morning that Utah coaches, players and fans all want to forget. 

According to a statement by Utah, freshman running back Ty Jordan passed away during the early hours Saturday morning while back home in Texas.

“Words cannot express the devastation and heartache that our team is feeling right now upon learning of the tragic death of our teammate and brother, Ty Jordan," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said per a release. "Ty’s personality and smile were infectious and he made a huge impact on our program in the short time he was with us. He leaves an indelible mark on each of us and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. From the bottom of our hearts, all of us in the Utah Football Family want to say we love you Ty and may you rest in peace.”

While circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, it's believed that Jordan died from an accidental shooting according to the Denton Police Department. 

"The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office releases the identity of deceased individuals, not the Police Department. This is standard protocol to ensure all family members are notified," Denton PD said in a tweet.

Jordan arrived to Utah this past summer with much fanfare, labeled as one of the guys who could potentially take over for star running back Zack Moss, arguably the best to ever wear a Utah uniform. He was expected to compete with junior Devin Brumfield and sophomore Jordan Wilmore for carries, two players who saw action last year behind Moss.

After drawing raves from head coach Kyle Whittingham throughout fall camp, Jordan split carries with Brumfield and Wilmore in his first college game against USC on Nov. 21. Although he finished with just seven carries for 32 yards, it was apparent that he was lightning in a bottle.

He began to show off that explosiveness Whittingham raved about the following week against Washington. Jordan ran for 97 yards on 10 carries, while adding another 31 yards on four catches.

Jordan then got the first start of his career against Oregon State on Dec. 5, and turned it into a night Utah fans won't forget. He ran for a career-high 167 yards on 27 carries, scoring his first career touchdown in the process. After the game, Whittingham named Jordan the starter moving forward for the rest of the season.

"He's starting to separate himself even more. He's been our top guy and now he's getting more and more separation. ... But, Jordan by what you have evidenced tonight, is our number one back," Whittingham said postgame against Oregon State. "He's getting used to speed of the Power 5 game. Things move fast in all lanes at the Power 5 level. He has gotten used to that. Now he has some confidence as well. One thing we need to do more is throw him the ball."

He finished out his freshman campaign by leading Utah to victories over then No. 21 Colorado and Washington State. He ran for 147 yards and two scores against the Buffaloes before adding 154 yards and three scores in the come-from-behind victory over the Cougars.

Jordan finished the season with 597 rushing yards on just 83 carries with six touchdowns, an average of 119.4 rushing yards per game that ranked ninth in the country and No. 1 amongst freshman. He was named the Pac-12's Offensive Freshman of the Year, announced by the conference on Tuesday. Jordan is just the second Ute to win a Pac-12 yearly award, joining the man he replaced in Moss.

Utah coaches and players took to social media to show their love and support for somebody they loved and cherished. 

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Twitter — @UtahUtes_SI and Ryan Kostecka at @Ryan_Kostecka

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