Who is Jordan Ta’amu? Meet the Defenders QB who beat out Taylor Heinicke during 2020 XFL season
When the 2023 edition of the XFL gets underway this weekend, fans will see a familiar face under the middle. Jordan Ta’amu will be the DC Defenders’ starting quarterback for Week 1.
Ta’amu is well known in spring soccer circles. He played for the St. Louis Battlehawks during the 2020 XFL season, beat current Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke for the starting job, and then played in the USFL last summer with the Tampa Bay Bandits.
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In between, Ta’amu joins several NFL practice squads. He spent time with the Chiefs, Lions, Commands and Panthers but never stayed in one place for long.
Now, Ta’amu joins the third installment of the XFL as one of the league’s veteran QBs.
The Sporting News has more on Jordan Ta’amu and discusses how he returned to the XFL.
Who is Jordan Ta’amu?
Ta’amu is the starting quarterback for the DC Defenders to begin the 2023 XFL regular season. This is Ta’amu’s second appearance in the XFL; He played with the St. Louis Battlehawks during the 2020 season, where he made his name (more on that later).
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Ta’amu, 25, played his college ball at New Mexico Military Institute (a junior college) and Ole Miss. He had a solid two-year stint with the Rebels but was not drafted in the 2019 NFL Draft. He signed with the Texans that summer after attending their rookie mini-camp but didn’t make the final 53-man roster. This began his football odyssey with stints in the XFL and USFL.
XFL and Defenders fans will be hoping he can bring back the excitement he created with the Battlehawks in 2020.
Where did Jordan Ta’amu go to college?
After an outstanding senior season at Hawaii’s Pearl City High School, Ta’amu began his collegiate career in the junior collegiate ranks of the New Mexico Military Institute. There he dominated the competition; He was ranked the No. 4 double threat junior college quarterback in the country by ESPN. As a sophomore in 2016, Ta’amu completed 59 percent of his passes for 3,014 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He added 328 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
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Ta’amu joined Ole Miss in 2017. His receivers there were AJ Brown, Van Jefferson, DK Metcalf and tight end Dawson Knox. He completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 1,682 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions after taking over for an injured Shea Patterson. Ta’amu was also second on the team with four quick touchdowns.
As a senior in 2018, Ta’amu had the luxury of pitching Brown, Metcalf, Knox and Elijah Moore. He completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 3,918 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Ta’amu also finished second with the Rebels with six rushing touchdowns and gained 342 yards on floor.
Jordan Ta’amu XFL career, stats, relationship with Taylor Heinicke
Ta’amu was released by the Texans in the summer of 2019 but didn’t have to wait long for another chance to play football. He was assigned to the Battlehawks for the 2020 edition of the XFL. Ta’amu became one of the top QBs in the league behind Houston’s PJ Walker.
Ta’amu beat Taylor Heinicke for the starting job in St. Louis. Heinicke later found his way back to the NFL, and he’s had a 12-12-1 record and 34 passing touchdowns with Washington over the past two seasons.
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Ta’amu said that sharing a quarterback room with Heinicke — and forging a relationship with him — made him a better player.
“It was great,” Ta’amu said at a press conference in 2021. “I mean, me and him in the same quarterback room, he helped me grow as a quarterback. He knew the game, he has experience and he’s older, so he’s kind of like an older brother to me. So he sort of got me through that offense and showed me the ropes a little bit and helped me.”
That showed on the field. During the 2020 XFL season, Ta’amu completed the best 72.4 percent of his passes for 1,050 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. He also produced 217 rushing yards and a touchdown in five games.
He appeared to be on his way to becoming an XFL star, but the remainder of the season was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic. After that, the league was closed.
Ta’amu returned to the XFL for his third iteration. Assigned to the Defenders in January, he joined a quarterback room that already included D’Eriq King and Eric Dungey.
Jordan Ta’amu USFL career, stats
After XFL 2.0 ceased operations, Ta’amu was eventually allowed back to play in the USFL with the Tampa Bay Bandits. He trained under head coach Todd Haley, a former NFL head coach and longtime offensive coordinator with the Steelers.
Ta’amu couldn’t get his XFL magic back, but he was still one of the better quarterbacks in the USFL. He led the league with 2,014 passing yards and 14 passing touchdowns, but he also recorded a league-high 12 interceptions.
Although Ta’amu’s USFL results have been mixed, he still proved he’s one of the better spring quarterbacks. He will try to prove himself again in the new XFL.