2022 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Thomas Jefferson’s Jordan Mayer

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, July 7, 2022 | 1:38 PM

5218047_web1_ptr-TJHampton04-111321 — Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review

Thomas Jefferson’s Jordan Mayer celebrates a tackle for loss against Hampton on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, at Fridley Field in Hampton.

Editor’s note: The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized July 15 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park.

The standard is the standard, and the standard for Thomas Jefferson football is very high.

Jordan Mayer had a big junior season on both sides of the football for the Jaguars, but it wasn’t enough as he prepares for his final fall in black and gold.

“My season didn’t go as planned,” he said. “As a team, we only have one goal and that is to win the WPIAL and states. Unfortunately, we did not achieve that. I’m the type of guy that is never satisfied, so I always think I can do better and I will do better.”

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end and defensive end is a member of the 2022 Trib HSSN Preseason 25 Football All-Star Team that will be honored July 15 at Kennywood Park.

“He just got better at every aspect of his game as the season progressed,” Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak said. “He is a tireless worker and easy to coach. He has become a great leader for us. I fully expect him to dominate on both sides of the ball this season. He should cause havoc for every offense we play.”

Mayer agrees with his coach and is excited about wreaking havoc on defense this fall.

“I’m a big threat coming off the edge with my first step,” he said. “Not a lot of guys can handle the pressure coming off the edge, so I definitely think it creates matchup (problems) and definitely destruction.”

While he explodes on defense, Mayer is a weapon on offense as well as a blocker in the Thomas Jefferson run game and as a big target at tight end in the passing attack.

“I know I’m a better blocker, but I’m learning the route running game every day and getting better,” Mayer said. “Once I get my steps down and continue the repetition, I think we’re going to cause a lot of problems on the offensive side.”

Mayer, a three-star prospect and the No. 24 player in the state according to Rivals, originally committed to Boston College, but when more schools started to offer, he had a change of heart and decided to play at Wisconsin.

“Wisconsin was just the place for me,” Mayer said. “If you take a visit to Wisconsin, you’re coming back with a different perspective. Also, it fit me as a player. I’m no flashy player, I’m just a physical player that wants to hit you, and Wisconsin plays like that.”

Cherpak made the comparison between Mayer and a former Jaguars standout at tight end and defensive end from more than 15 years ago who went on to play at Virginia Tech.

“He is a little like Chris Drager in that he excels on both sides of the ball and was recruited for both,” Cherpak said. “He is so long and athletic which is exactly what college coaches crave. We have worked to find ways to get him the ball and will move him around a lot to try and get favorable mismatches.”

Jordan Mayer

Thomas Jefferson

Senior

Tight end, defensive end

6-foot-5, 230 pounds

Committed to: Wisconsin

Division I offers: Boston College, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, George Tech, Syracuse, Duke, Vanderbilt, among others.

2021 statistics: 7 receptions, 120 yards, 2 TDs.

Highlights: Hudl

Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team

Tyree Alualu, North Allegheny

Aidan Besselman, Upper St. Clair