USC running back Waymond Jordan Jr. has added a new off-field move to his résumé: he announced on Instagram that he has signed on as a Nike athlete.
The deal’s details weren’t disclosed, but the move puts Jordan in the same lane as other USC names already tied to major visibility, including women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins and freshman tight end Mark Bowman. That means the next time fans are out around Los Angeles, they could see Jordan in the kind of ads, commercials and billboards that come with a Nike partnership.
On the field, Jordan is working toward a 2026 return after a season-ending injury cut short his 2025 campaign. He missed USC’s final seven games after getting hurt in the first half against Michigan. Before that setback, he had already shown plenty: 576 rushing yards on 88 carries, seven catches for 55 yards and five rushing touchdowns in six games.
Jordan’s path to USC was built on a massive JUCO breakout. He arrived in 2025 as the No. 18 overall JUCO prospect and the nation’s top junior college running back after two seasons at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
His second year there was the one that put him on the map. He piled up 1,614 rushing yards on 218 carries, averaged 134.5 yards per game and scored 20 touchdowns across 12 games.
That run helped Hutchinson win the 2024 National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Football championship, and Jordan was named the 2024 NJCAA Division I Football offensive player of the year. He also finished first in the country in yards, yards per game and touchdowns, while taking home the JUCOWeekly Trophy, given to the best JUCO player in the nation.
Back with USC, Jordan is expected to slot back into a key role once he’s healthy. He’s viewed as one of the top backs on the depth chart and a player who can contribute all over the field. King Miller, the third-year back who stepped in to start for the injured runners, will be in the mix for the starting job when fall camp opens in August.
USC’s 2026 schedule is already set, beginning with non-conference games against San Jose State, Fresno State and Louisiana in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Big Ten play opens on the road at Rutgers, followed by home games against Oregon and Washington in consecutive weeks.
After a bye week, the Trojans travel to Penn State and then Wisconsin, host Ohio State, and head to Indiana after another bye week for what will be their final true road game of the season. USC closes the regular season at home against Maryland in late November before facing UCLA in the Rose Bowl.
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USC Back Waymond Jordan Just Took A Big Step Off The Field
USCs partnership with Nike just got a much bigger runway, with the school and the apparel giant agreeing to a new 10-year extension that goes well beyond uniforms and shoes. The deal is set to bring new workout equipment, an NIL program, student-athlete classes, new basketball uniforms and an updated student store, another sign that the Trojans are leaning into the modern college sports model as much off the field as on it.
Waymond Jordan is already part of that picture. The senior running back said on social media that he has signed a deal with Nike, adding another brand tie to a USC athletic department that has seen several athletes link up with Nike or Jordan Brand. Jordans own path has had some twists, too, after a knee injury interrupted his season, and he had already added an NIL agreement with Panini America back in April. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Early Arrival Trend Puts Boobie Feaster Under Immediate Pressure
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Feaster was once viewed as the top receiver in the 2027 class, and that reputation is part of why the Trojans are watching his transition so closely. USC has leaned into this trend before, with names like Jahkeem Stewart, RJ Sermons, Mark Bowman and Roye Oliver III all fitting into the broader reclassification picture, but the pressure is different when a player is expected to help the receiver rotation right away and is still adjusting to life on campus at 17. [Read more 🡒]