Recruiting Spotlight: Jordan McClom – Armstrong (2022)

A change in schools and a change in position led to big things for Robbinsdale Armstrong’s [player_tooltip player_id="116195" first="Jordan" last="McClom"]. He had a breakout year and became one of the top defensive backs in Minnesota. Now, he is looking to keep the momentum from his junior season going and helping his team to a long run in the 2021 post-season. With Division I programs already looking at McClom, if he can help his team make the next step, DI programs will continue to seek out the junior. "This year was a statement year," McClom said. "I knew what I was capable of, but people around me didn’t know what I was capable of doing. I wanted to make sure how I felt about myself was put out there so people could see the type of player I thought I was. There is more to do. I didn’t show everything that I can do, but I put a good representation of what I can do on the football field." McClom feels changing schools has and will increase his chances for a scholarship. "Last year, I played at Providence Academy. I moved to a bigger school with bigger competition at Armstrong so I could show what I could do." Showing what he could do, started with a position change with Providence Academy. "As a sophomore, I started out as a receiver and a running back," McClom said. "Later in the year, we had injuries, and I got moved to corner. That is where I found my calling – as a DB." Another smaller change came when McClom started working with his new team. He moved to safety. "The change from corner to safety took me a couple of games to get used to. Being a tackler and coming down hard to support the run took the most time to get used to. At corner, when you are playing the ball, you are on the same path as the receiver. As a safety, your man is the quarterback and breaking on the ball. My reads changed and my angles to break on the ball changed. Throughout the season, I got better breaking on the ball and coming down on the run." McClom settled in at free safety. "I am good at getting to the ball. When it is in the air, I feel that the ball is mine. I turn into a receiver, and my goal is to get the ball and return it for six. I am a playmaker. I understand where the offenses are going with the ball, and I can see the field and can get after the ball." He also was a force on special teams. He was the Falcons’ primary kick returner and took multiple kicks to the house. "Returning kicks is like backyard football – you just get the ball, and you have to go," McClom explained. "I don’t like being hit and going to the ground, so returning kicks was a stay clean type of game for me." The change in his primary position helped the Falcons’ football team back up their outstanding 2019 season with another solid (4-2) campaign, but the 6’1" 185-pound junior knows he has more work to do. "I need to work on the little technique things that separate the good players from the great players. I am refining my backpedal and getting out of breaks faster. I am working on my muscle memory, so I don’t need to think so much. When you think too much, that is when you are a step behind." For McClom, improving has taken him around the country. "I am on a seven-on-seven team called the Minnesota Hitmen. It has been all football for me this winter and into the spring. When we were able to get some consistent practice – with COVID, it was tough to find places to practice – we have played well in the tournaments we went to down south to Texas, Florida, and Louisiana." When not traveling, McClom is still working on his game. "I lift two days a week, and the rest of the week, I work on my speed. Every day I work on technique. Saturdays, I practice with the Hitmen." 2021’s odd recruiting cycle has added a new layer of uncertainty to the recruiting journey. "Recruiting has been a stressful process," McClom admitted. "It is so up and down. With the FCS schools, they are in season now, so their recruiting has slowed down. It is starting to pick up again. I have offers from Illinois State and Northern Iowa. North Dakota State, Yale, South Dakota State, and recently Rutgers contacted my coaches about me." "They say they like my ball-hawk ability," McClom continued. "UNI liked my tackling ability, which was a surprise for me. I think that is where I need to improve." If McClom does improve, the Falcons should continue to find success, and so should their so-to-be senior – in high school and beyond.