Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
“We’ve needed him this year” — Jordan Ferguson thrives as team captain
9/22/2021 6:00:00 PM | Football
The defensive end has five tackles for loss and seven QB hurries through three games
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — If you happen to linger around the locker room post practice or postgame with Middle Tennessee, you'll likely see Jordan Ferguson linger with you. He'll spend his time picking up towels, discarded pre-wrap, left over play cards, whatever might find the floor after a game, making sure it's disposed of properly.
"Coach Stock says we play how your locker room looks," Ferguson said. "We try to take pressure off the janitors. We can be the ones to make it so they just have to come in there and vacuum."
A little thing to do in the grand scheme of things, to be sure. But Jordan Ferguson has been doing a lot of little things right for some time on the Blue Raider defensive line and off the field on campus at Middle Tennessee. And all those little things, the classroom work ethic, teaching the young guys in his room how the position coaches want it done, and yes, picking up the trash, have led him to start the 2021 season on fire.
"He gets everybody going," running back Amir Rasul said. "He's a great person overall, he's a great leader. We've needed him a lot this year, not gonna lie."
Through three games, the redshirt junior has compiled 12 total tackles, with five of those tackles being for a loss, including two sacks. He's hurried opposing quarterbacks seven times, and forced a fumble and recovered one against Monmouth.
He's been a wrecking ball at right end for the Blue Raider defense. And defensive line coach Dustin Royston says it all starts with those little things the coaches drill each week in practice.
"Every play we have we talk about alignment, assignment, key and technique," Royston said. "He does those exactly how we ask him to. He makes those plays by just doing his job, not trying to do too much, not trying to see too much into the backfield. He reads his keys, goes and makes the play, and when he gets there he ends up getting the ball on the ground."
Ferguson, for his part, credits the gameplan put in place by defensive coordinator Scott Shafer for putting him in the spot to make plays. Royston says his super high motor ("he loves football") plays a big role as well. But Ferguson's humbleness and relentlessness are just small parts of why Ferguson's leadership has stood out to his teammates.
"He was voted a captain for a reason," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "He's done a really really good job of being that leader that people, whether you're young or you're an older guy, that you can look to and say 'he's giving everything he's got on every play, whether it's practice or it's a game.' I just have so much respect for Ferg and how he's developed as a football player, how he's developed as a leader, how he's developed as a man."
That personal development is a consistent point of discussion when you talk about Jordan Ferguson amongst his teammates and coaches who have been around him his whole Blue Raider career. A tight end and linebacker in high school, Ferguson made the C-USA all-freshman team despite "really having no idea what he was doing," Royston said. But even with that on field success, fellow 2021 captain Reed Blankenship went as far as to call him a 'pain' at times during his freshman year.
"I know he's not going to get mad at me for saying that, because he knows," Blankenship said. Ferg, for his part, agreed with his co-captain.
"I was young, I had to learn how to play football, I had to learn how to be a man," Ferguson said. "Just had to learn how things went in college. You know, you come up here the first year without your parents, you're on your own for the first time. And things don't go your way all the time.
"Maybe I acted out a little bit," he concluded. "But I'm glad these coaches kept giving me a chance."
Ferguson said that after his sophomore year, he knew that to be successful in life, let alone on the football field, he really needed to have a change in attitude. While he had good years on the field, he saw the leadership of guys like Brent Stockstill, Chandler Brewer, Jovante Moffatt, Malik Manciel and Blankenship, how they handled themselves off the field. That, along with some hounding from coach Tommy West, led him on his new path.
"He had to learn what our room expectations are," Royston elaborated. "And the thing about Ferg is, for the past two and a half years, all the freshmen that come in, they learn really quick. Those guys learned really quickly because Ferg was able to show them what the standard is, and what we expect as coaches and what the players expect from them. He's done a really good job being ambassador to the D-line room."
Ferguson says getting elected to team captain this year is the accolade he's proud of most in his entire football career, something he didn't earn in high school. And a real manifestation of his goal to train the next man up, both in his unit and as a future leader of the team.
So maybe next time you're in the Murphy Center, you'll see some other folks with Ferg, helping teach technique, going over plays, making sure the locker room is organized and ready for the day. Just like those before him did, and how he's doing now.
"He's grown so much," Blankenship said. "He's taken the role of being a captain, and everyone looks up to him and follows him. Sometimes I look up to him. He's just a great leader, and I love and respect him for that."
"Coach Stock says we play how your locker room looks," Ferguson said. "We try to take pressure off the janitors. We can be the ones to make it so they just have to come in there and vacuum."
A little thing to do in the grand scheme of things, to be sure. But Jordan Ferguson has been doing a lot of little things right for some time on the Blue Raider defensive line and off the field on campus at Middle Tennessee. And all those little things, the classroom work ethic, teaching the young guys in his room how the position coaches want it done, and yes, picking up the trash, have led him to start the 2021 season on fire.
"He gets everybody going," running back Amir Rasul said. "He's a great person overall, he's a great leader. We've needed him a lot this year, not gonna lie."
Through three games, the redshirt junior has compiled 12 total tackles, with five of those tackles being for a loss, including two sacks. He's hurried opposing quarterbacks seven times, and forced a fumble and recovered one against Monmouth.
He's been a wrecking ball at right end for the Blue Raider defense. And defensive line coach Dustin Royston says it all starts with those little things the coaches drill each week in practice.
"Every play we have we talk about alignment, assignment, key and technique," Royston said. "He does those exactly how we ask him to. He makes those plays by just doing his job, not trying to do too much, not trying to see too much into the backfield. He reads his keys, goes and makes the play, and when he gets there he ends up getting the ball on the ground."
Ferguson, for his part, credits the gameplan put in place by defensive coordinator Scott Shafer for putting him in the spot to make plays. Royston says his super high motor ("he loves football") plays a big role as well. But Ferguson's humbleness and relentlessness are just small parts of why Ferguson's leadership has stood out to his teammates.
"He was voted a captain for a reason," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "He's done a really really good job of being that leader that people, whether you're young or you're an older guy, that you can look to and say 'he's giving everything he's got on every play, whether it's practice or it's a game.' I just have so much respect for Ferg and how he's developed as a football player, how he's developed as a leader, how he's developed as a man."
That personal development is a consistent point of discussion when you talk about Jordan Ferguson amongst his teammates and coaches who have been around him his whole Blue Raider career. A tight end and linebacker in high school, Ferguson made the C-USA all-freshman team despite "really having no idea what he was doing," Royston said. But even with that on field success, fellow 2021 captain Reed Blankenship went as far as to call him a 'pain' at times during his freshman year.
"I know he's not going to get mad at me for saying that, because he knows," Blankenship said. Ferg, for his part, agreed with his co-captain.
"I was young, I had to learn how to play football, I had to learn how to be a man," Ferguson said. "Just had to learn how things went in college. You know, you come up here the first year without your parents, you're on your own for the first time. And things don't go your way all the time.
"Maybe I acted out a little bit," he concluded. "But I'm glad these coaches kept giving me a chance."
Ferguson said that after his sophomore year, he knew that to be successful in life, let alone on the football field, he really needed to have a change in attitude. While he had good years on the field, he saw the leadership of guys like Brent Stockstill, Chandler Brewer, Jovante Moffatt, Malik Manciel and Blankenship, how they handled themselves off the field. That, along with some hounding from coach Tommy West, led him on his new path.
"He had to learn what our room expectations are," Royston elaborated. "And the thing about Ferg is, for the past two and a half years, all the freshmen that come in, they learn really quick. Those guys learned really quickly because Ferg was able to show them what the standard is, and what we expect as coaches and what the players expect from them. He's done a really good job being ambassador to the D-line room."
Ferguson says getting elected to team captain this year is the accolade he's proud of most in his entire football career, something he didn't earn in high school. And a real manifestation of his goal to train the next man up, both in his unit and as a future leader of the team.
So maybe next time you're in the Murphy Center, you'll see some other folks with Ferg, helping teach technique, going over plays, making sure the locker room is organized and ready for the day. Just like those before him did, and how he's doing now.
"He's grown so much," Blankenship said. "He's taken the role of being a captain, and everyone looks up to him and follows him. Sometimes I look up to him. He's just a great leader, and I love and respect him for that."
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