'This is like a dream': Jordan Strachan prepares to face former team in season opener

At the beginning of August, South Carolina edge rusher Jordan Strachan wasn’t too concerned with the season opener. The first game was still weeks away and there was a month’s worth of practice left to go.

But of course it’s not just any season opener for Strachan. 

The Gamecocks’ match up with Georgia State pits Strachan against his former school, coaches and teammates for the first time since he transferred to South Carolina in 2021. 

Despite the implications and potential importance of the game, a month ago Strachan claimed he hadn’t spent much time thinking about it. 

“I try not to think about it. I’m not sitting here thinking or worrying about them, I know it’s coming,” Strachan said. “It’s bigger in my world, you know, I have those guys on Instagram and Snap so I see it all, I hear it all. So I try not to get into it but it’s hard not to think about it.”

Even though he tried to not think about it, Strachan couldn’t help but get excited for the chance to get to suit up against his former team. 

“I circled this game last year, like this was a part of me coming back,” Strachan said. “This is like a dream, it just made sense…I’m supposed to be playing this game.”

Game Week Special: Get one year of Gamecock Central for $10 or one month for $1!

Strachan got his start with the Panthers as a walk-on safety in 2017. After redshirting a year, he made the switch to outside linebacker and played in every game in his first year at the new position in 2018. 

In 2019, right as he was picking up steam, he was sidelined with a season ending knee injury in Georgia State’s first game of the season. 

He bounced back in 2020 and secured 10.5 sacks, tying for the nation’s lead in the category and setting a new Georgia State record. 

That season Strachan had a PFF pass rush grade of 90.2, putting him among the top 15 edge rushers in the country for the category. 

Flash forward to 2022 and Strachan is in his second year as a Gamecock, set to start for a revitalized SEC team that is craving more success after getting a taste of it last season.  

“I never saw myself being anywhere else,” Strachan said. “In my own head, I always knew I would get to a point where everybody gonna know about me. So it’s always has been a steady grind.

What channel is the game on? The definitive how-to guide to watching South Carolina football vs. Georgia State

The fifth year senior said he’s seen “big time” growth since his walk-on days at Georgia State and that he’s learned a lot about the game. 

“It’s not all about just having a whole bunch of sacks because at the end of the day (scouts) don’t really care about how many sacks you got, they want to see how you play on first, second down,” Strachan said. 

“They want to see how you turn up on third, if you get a sack or not they just want to see how you’re rushing. So just understanding those little things I think has helped my game grow.”

Strachan has clearly come a long way since 2017, and said he’s looking forward to showing his former teammates just how far he’s come since arriving in Columbia. 

“It’s gonna be the funniest game ever because you know that sideline seen where I started from,” Strachan said. “They saw me the day I stepped into the campus…just to show my progression and where I came from, it’s gonna be fun.”

In less than a week Strachan will get to reunite with some of his closest friends, but he said once game time comes on Sept. 3 he’ll be locked in.

“I got best friends over there. Guys I talk to every day, play the game with, you know, Facetime, Snapchat, they’re my brothers,” Strachan said. “It’s going to be fun but when that ball kicks off, it’s war.”

Discuss Jordan Strachan and South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!