Jeremiah JOrdan Just Might Be The Ultimate Chess Piece in UAB’s Defense

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - April 3, 2026

Finding Jeremiah Jordan on the football field – at least prior to the snap – might take some work in the fall.

Officially, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Memphis native, who is playing his final college football season at UAB, is considered as a safety. Realistically, though, he is more than that.

“They made him play a lot at Memphis and he did a good job of that,” UAB secondary coach/passing game coordinator Brent Vieselmeyer said of Jordan, who spent one season at his hometown school. “He played a little nickel, he played outside corner, he played inside safety. Those guys are they make your life a little bit easier when you're calling defense. You can use them in a lot of different ways.”

For the record, he also played free safety and cornerback while at Division II power Harding University and frankly is physical enough to thrive in the box on defense when needed.

“I kind of hang my hat on being versatile, for sure,” Jordan said. “I love to cover, but I ain't scared to get dirty. I like to be physical as well. So I really hang my head on being able to do multiple things.”

Jordan didn’t take a direct path to his final college season at UAB. Jordan’s recruiting out of Cordova High in Memphis went slowly, partly because his team didn’t play during his junior season because of Covid-19 restrictions. Jordan said his dad took him to several college camps the summer before his senior year to make up for the missed season. He had a solid final season, playing safety and wide receiver, and contributed 59 tackles, three tackles for loss and two interceptions. The offers from Division I schools never came and he headed to Harding University.

He was a redshirt in 2022 at Harding and then was part of two teams that finished a combined 27-2, including 15-0 in 2023 on the way to the NCAA Division II national championship. Jordan had four tackles and one pass breakup in a 38-7 championship game win over top-ranked Colorado School of Mines. Harding advanced to the semifinals in 2024 before falling to No. 2 ranked Ferris State. Jordan had 42 tackles and two interceptions in 29 games with 22 starts over the two seasons on the field.

“It was way different, way different,” Jordan said. “Going from living where it's a city to going to there, it's a small town. I feel like being a small town, it drew us closer together because we spent a lot of time together, especially the football team with your brothers. I grew a lot. One thing about it, being there, it really taught you that it was bigger than yourself. We really put brotherhood before self, I feel like that's the main thing. They really established a championship culture. So, like, it's bigger than yourself, playing for the guy beside you, even when you're tired.”

After three seasons, though, he wanted to chase the Division I dream that he grew up with. He got that opportunity by going home to Memphis. Jordan finished the season with 19 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and six pass breakups. He had the team’s highest tackling grade (83.9), according to Pro Football Focus. After the coaching staff changed, Jordan entered the transfer portal. Jordan said UAB was in the picture because Vieselmeyer and Memphis defensive backs coach Reggie Howard coached together in the NFL. Jordan said he liked what he heard from the UAB staff during recruiting.

“Really everything that they really preach here is to teach you to be a pro and create a winning culture,” Jordan said. “They're trying to build something special in a situation where they really want to shock the world. That's kind of like my mindset growing up, just, you know, being underrecruited, not looked at as much.”

Jordan has made an impact in spring practice while often lined up as safety with the first team beside Oklahoma State transfer Jotavian Pierce. But roles won’t be secured until fall camp.

“I think we're still trying to get the system down,” Vieselmeyer said. “I think there's a lot of guys right now who we’re trying to sort of see how they fit. We have a good rolodex of defense. So, within that, it's like how can we best use not just him, but a lot of them. Every day is learning a little bit about some tools he has not done before. But he's doing well.”