Jordan Kerley ready to continue run of SMU wideouts

You don’t hear much from SMU wide receiver Jordan Kerley. That’s because the Austin, Texas native quietly goes about his work while overcoming a lot in his collegiate career on and off the field.

It’s been a long journey to this moment where he now has the opportunity to fill some big shoes in the Mustangs’ receiver group. It’s a journey filled with adversity.

He began his career at Arizona State, where he and current SMU wide receivers coach Rob Likens were both Sun Devils. Likens saw the talent, heralding him early on as he got first team reps.

“Probably one of the best freshman wide receivers I’ve ever had a chance to be around,” Likens said in August 2019. “He’s got everything.”

“He harps on just showing up every single day and being yourself, just competing hard and raising the bar for everyone else in the group,” Kerley said in the spring of Likens.

After playing in 13 games as a freshman, COVID-19 shut down spring practice. Kerley ended up opting out of the 2020 season, transferring back to be closer to home. He landed on the Hilltop and made an impact.

In a talented wide receiver room, Kerley caught 12 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown over nine games with one start. An injury ended his 2021 season in early November. Then in 2022 he was nicked up throughout the season, gutting it out. In 10 games with seven starts, he finished second on the team with 37 receptions for 588 yards and six touchdowns.

Kerley amassed six catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in the win over Memphis last year. The coaches weren’t aware until after the fact that he had the flu. Named for Michael Jordan, Jordan Kerley had his own “flu game.” Instead of riding with his family to avoid getting them sick, he walked back to his apartment after the game.

A good two miles in bad weather.

While he may have walked back home, speed certainly runs in the family. His first cousin is Fred Kerley, one of the world’s fastest sprinters. That talent Jordan has doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Kerley’s an unbelievable football player,” SMU quarterback Preston Stone said this week. “He might be the most naturally gifted guy on our team. He’s also one of the hardest workers on our team. That guy practices harder than just about anybody out here. I’m expecting Kerley to have a really big day on Saturday and a really big year.”

Hard work runs in Kerley’s DNA

It’s happened a couple times to me when I’ve been in Armstrong Fieldhouse that Kerley was on his own working. There was the one time where the lights were off, but Kerley was all alone with his helmet on catching passes from SMU’s Monarc machine.

“When you see with Jordan Kerley is mature, experienced,” SMU quarterbacks coach Jonny Brewer said. “He’s a man on a mission. You can see it in his eyes. Even if he drops a pass here or there, he just picks it up and moves on. He just keeps building and building. Obviously, he’s an elite speed guy. Elite home run post, running Gos. All his little tools are starting to show. It takes a little bit of time to develop over a series of years.”

That skill work complemented his weight training, adding 10-15 pounds to his frame with hopes of holding up better over the course of a season.

“We told him that we needed to get his upper-body a little bit more bulked up, and he’s done that. This is the first off-season where he’s been able to work out with weights, you can see that he’s put on 10 pounds, and he’s starting to get used to his new weight,” Likens said this spring. “His speed is even still there with his new weight, so I am very excited about his upcoming season.”

As the season kicks off with plenty of eyes on SMU and with a full offseason under his belt, now’s the time for him to fill the shoes of those great SMU wideouts of past. Rashee Rice, Reggie Roberson, Danny Gray, James Proche and others have set the bar high.

“Every single year, there is always going to be that guy,” Kerley said of stepping up. “I feel like I can step into that role and capitalize on it. They paved the way and now it’s my job to follow in their footsteps.”

There’s still more of Kerley’s story to be told on and off the field. He hasn’t met with the media in fall camp, but after the adversity he’s faced, he’s ready to talk with his play.

He’s put in the work.