SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Utes will take the field this season with a decal on their helmets - “LLTJ” - Long Live Ty Jordan.
The decal is a tribute to the 19-year-old tailback who died last December in an accidental shooting.
The decals will be similar to the one's worn in a Spring Game this year.
Utah opens the season against Weber State on Thursday night at the expanded Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Jordan was killed on Christmas Day in 2020 when he accidentally shot himself.
He had just finished his true freshman season with the Utes, winning the Pac-12s Newcomer of the Year award.
A three-star recruit out of Texas, Jordan ran for 597 yards and scored six touchdowns in his freshman season. He was the first Ute true freshman to rush for over 100-yards in back-to-back games since 1995.
Cornerback Aaron Lowe switched to wearing No. 22 as a tribute to Jordan, who was a high school teammate in Mesquite, Texas.
“Ty made everyone around him better,” Cornerback Aaron Lowe said on Utah’s website. “He made me better. My friendship with Ty means a lot because he was always pushing me to be my best. He never let me settle for less. I want to make sure his legacy lives on through me.”
