Georgia Tech running back Jordan Mason, who was an All-ACC selection in 2019 before selflessly giving way to Jahmyr Gibbs the past two seasons, said he will enter the 2022 NFL draft. Mason made the announcement Thursday from his social-media accounts.
Mason had the opportunity to use a fifth season of eligibility but deemed himself ready to move forward, a move he said at the end of the season that he would make with the consultation of his parents and running-backs coach Tashard Choice. Mason, who will graduate Dec. 18 with a business degree, finishes his Yellow Jackets career with 2,349 rushing yards, 11th all-time in Tech history. Befitting a player who came to Tech to play B-back for former coach Paul Johnson, Mason ran with straight-ahead power, but also elusiveness.
It was on display in what might be the most memorable run of his career, a 22-yard carry in overtime at Miami in 2019. On a run between the tackles, Mason ran through two tackle attempts and evaded a third attempt before pulling another Hurricanes defender to the 1-yard line. He dove into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown on the next play, giving the Jackets the winning margin in the 28-21 win over the Hurricanes. He finished the game with a career-high 141 yards on 20 carries with the one touchdown.
“Of course I had a good game, but when I fumbled – I will always remember – when I fumbled (in the fourth quarter), I jogged to the sideline,” Mason said in a Nov. 24 interview. “Coach Choice came up to me and was like, Now go win us the game. He wasn’t mad or anything. All he said was, ‘Go win the game.’ The next thing you know, I end up with the last touchdown of the game. I will always remember that game.”
His 899 rushing yards in 12 games (74.9 yards per game) that season were sixth in the ACC, earning him a spot on the All-ACC third team.
Mason was injured at the start of the 2020 season. He yielded the starting job over the next two seasons to Gibbs, but displayed a selfless attitude in doing so. He was an eager special-teams player, sometimes blocking for Gibbs on kickoff returns, and rotated with Gibbs and Dontae Smith without complaint.
His final game, a 14-carry, 59-yard performance in a losing effort to Georgia, showed again his willingness to fight for tough yards.
From Gallatin, Tenn., Mason also became a new father earlier in the year, to Merci Mason.
“I’m thankful for her,” Mason said. “Just because of her, I had to grow up a lot. That’s a big responsibility right there.”
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