Georgia Tech quarterback Matthew Jordan will take part in the senior day ceremony before the team’s game against Georgia on Saturday, meaning he doesn’t plan to return to the team next season.
Jordan, a junior, has a season of eligibility remaining, but made the decision to end his career because of health concerns about his foot, coach Paul Johnson said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. In the Clemson game, Jordan reaggravated the foot injury he suffered in the spring that required him to have surgery.
“He already has his degree and has some opportunities,” Johnson said. “We talked that he may want to walk with his grandkids. Sometimes, you have to deem it’s time to quit, and he’s mature enough and sees that.”
Jordan hoped to be the successor to three-year starter Justin Thomas, but the lost time because of the injury and then the development of TaQuon Marshall precluded that. Jordan earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in May and had begun his pursuit of a master's in supply-chain engineering. A Type 1 diabetic, Jordan has been outspoken about his experience with the disease and has sought to encourage children with the same condition.
He perhaps will be best remembered by Tech fans for his leading the Yellow Jackets to an upset win at Virginia Tech in place of an injured Thomas.
“He’ll be very successful with whatever he does because he’s got that type of personality and that type of drive about him,” Johnson said. “But I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s always accepted his role, always been a team player, been a real positive guy. He’s been a real pleasure to have in the program.”
