Clemson’s success draws Conway native closer to fulfillment of lifelong dream

In the few moments of calm afforded prior to each Clemson game, Sawyer Jordan takes account of his surroundings and thanks the Lord for his many blessings.

“Sometimes it is weird to sit and think how blessed I am,” he said. “To be part of the things I am a part of, to go the places I’ve been. Not everyone gets this opportunity, so it is worth it every game to look around and just say ‘Thank you (Lord).’ ”

The son of longtime Conway football coach Chuck, the younger Jordan has served the past couple of seasons as a student assistant to the offense for the Tigers. During his tenure with the football team, the program has enjoyed success matched by few in the college ranks, including consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference titles and trips to the College Football Playoff.

But to whom much is given, much is required.

Such prosperity comes at a cost, which for Jordan comes in the form of hours spent performing whatever task is asked of the Clemson coaching staff – whether it be evaluating film and helping tabulate statistics, or running errands for those higher on the totem pole than him.

To get where he wants to be, though, Jordan wouldn’t have it any other way.

Since his days as a youth, the Conway native has known the direction he wanted to go in life.

“I’ve known since I was a child what I wanted to do. Being a (football) coach has always been a dream of mine,” Jordan said. “I’ve been around it my entire life, always looking up to my dad and how he impacts lives through football and developing boys into men.”

He further made his intentions known as a third-grader, writing a letter saying he “wanted to be a football coach.”

A receiver and quarterback for his father during his time at Conway, the younger Jordan knew he would inevitably have a choice to make as his career at “The Backyard” drew to a close.

“We talked and wondered whether he was a good enough player to get a scholarship,” Chuck Jordan said. “I told him that he could either go to a small school and play, or you can go somewhere and work.”

When Sawyer went with the latter, the elder Jordan went to work seeing where his son could be a good fit. Among those he called was Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, who during his early years at the school roamed the Grand Strand in search of talent for the Tigers.

“I’ve known Dabo for some time, and I called him to see whether Sawyer could come on and work in some capacity,” Chuck Jordan said. “I asked that he fits in where he is needed, to do whatever is asked of him. If he needs to be the gofer to the gofer, then that’s what he needs to do.”

According to the longtime Conway coach, the timing couldn’t have been better – both in terms of earning valuable experience along with enjoying the perks of being a Clemson insider at such a time as this.

“(Sawyer) could not have picked a better time at all. He’s been able to fly all over the country for games – north, south, east and west,” he said. “To be a part of something special like this for Clemson, the timing’s great in that respect. You can basically say the same for (former Socastee standout) Hunter Renfrow, but I believe both of them pretty much understand that timing everything.

“They’d love to think this run of success will go on and on, but you never know. For that reason, my advice is to live in the moment and cherish it.”

Speaking of Renfrow – a wide receiver for the Tigers – Sawyer Jordan said it is a blessing to have someone who is like a brother to him on a daily basis.

“Since we were little, we have been close,” he said. “Growing up, we went to (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) events together, and had pretty much the same interests in that we loved sports and loved the Lord. We had a similar family structure and could talk about nearly anything.

“While he was getting recruited to a bunch of (Football Championship Subdivision) schools, he felt he could make his mark at Clemson just as I did. So it has been incredible to see what he has done, more so on a firsthand basis.”

More importantly, the two of them are building a foundation for their future and making dreams come true at the same time.

“It is a credit to how things are done here at Clemson,” Sawyer said. “The family atmosphere that you see on TV is real. And to be part of it is cool. I could not have asked for a better situation to be in.”

This story was originally published December 30, 2016 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Clemson’s success draws Conway native closer to fulfillment of lifelong dream."