Jordan Todman (born February 24, 1990) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
. He was drafted by the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
in the sixth round of the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
. Todman has also played for the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
,
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
,
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
,
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
,
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
,
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
, and
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
.
Early career
Todman attended
Dartmouth High School in Massachusetts, where he played football and ran track. He graduated in 2008. In his senior season in 2007, Todman led Dartmouth to a 11–2 record, their only losses coming to a gritty Foxboro High School squad (a game in which he had 2 fumbles and was out-rushed by Foxboro running back Tim Mogan) and in the Division 1 State Championship game, where they lost 34–28 in double overtime to perennial power
Everett. Including Todman, the 2007 Dartmouth football team had 4 players who received Division 1 scholarships; Jordan Todman (
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
),
Arthur Lynch (
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
), Sean Sylvia (
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
), and Justin Mello (
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
) Todman earned All-State honors twice, and was named the
Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
Player of the Year during his senior season.
In
track & field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
, Todman was a state qualifier in the 100-meters. At the 2007 Eastern MA Div 2 Champs, he took gold in the
100-meter dash
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...
event, recording a personal-best time of 10.92 seconds. He also competed in jumps.
Though Todman finished his high school career as the second-leading rusher in
state history (behind only Cedric Washington of
Holyoke
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...
), many recruiting sites and college coaches thought he would be best suited to play defense. Despite late interest from
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
and
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
, only
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
,
Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
and
Northeastern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
offered scholarships. On December 16, 2007, after finishing an official visit to Boston College, Todman committed to play
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
for Connecticut.
College career
Todman missed the first two games of his
freshman
A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions.
Ara ...
season with a shoulder injury, and made his debut with 81 yards
rushing and a
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
in a UConn victory over
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. He would spend the rest of the year as the backup to
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n running back,
Donald Brown, and would finish the year with 296 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
After Brown left for the
NFL, Todman was promoted to starting running back for his
sophomore
In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...
season. Before the season began, he was named to the
Doak Walker Award
Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football Le ...
watch list. Despite splitting carries with
Andre Dixon
Andre Jamar Dixon (born February 19, 1986) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Hartford Colonials as a first round draft pick in 2010. He played college football at Connecticut.
Early years
Dixon attended New Brunsw ...
, Todman lead the Huskies with 1,188 rushing yards. He gained over 100 yards in a game five times, including running for 162 yards with 4 touchdowns in a 47–45 loss to
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
. In addition to his running back duties, Todman was also the primary kick returner. In the Huskies victory over
Notre Dame, he returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.
After the season, he was named second-team All-Big East.
With Dixon's graduation at the end of the
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
season, Todman entered his junior season as the team's primary running back. Just as the previous year, he was once again named to the Doak Walker Award watch list. During the regular season, Todman ran for over 100 yards in 9 of the 11 games he played (he missed the Huskies game against
Buffalo with an elbow injury). He set a career-high when he ran for 222 yards during a nationally televised game on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
against
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, on the same day it was announced that he was not named a semi-finalist for the Doak Walker Award. At the end of the regular season, he had 1,574 rushing yards on 302 carriers and 14 rushing touchdowns. Connecticut finished in a three-way tie for the
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and M ...
with West Virginia and Pittsburgh, but Connecticut won the tie-breakers and played the
Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...
in the
2011 Fiesta Bowl
The 2011 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Connecticut Huskies (UConn), co-champions of the Big East Conference, and the Oklahoma Sooners, champions of the Big 12 Conference, at University of Phoenix Stad ...
. After the season, Todman was the unanimous selection as
Big East Conference's Offensive Player of the Year.
After the Fiesta Bowl, Todman announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the
NFL draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
College statistics
Professional career
San Diego Chargers
Todman was selected in the sixth round with the 183rd pick in the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
by the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
. He was waived on October 22 and re-signed to the practice squad.
Minnesota Vikings
Todman was signed off the Chargers practice squad by the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
on December 28, 2011. During the 2012 preseason, Todman had a 76-yard touchdown run against the Houston Texans, but on August 31, 2012, Todman was released by the Vikings and subsequently added to the practice squad the next day.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Todman was signed off the Vikings practice squad by the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
on November 27, 2012. Todman would spend the rest of the season, as well as the
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
seasons with the Jaguars. He scored his first career touchdown on September 22, 2013 against the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. Perhaps the most memorable play for Todman in 2013 was a 21-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver
Ace Sanders
Tracy Lavon "Ace" Sanders (born November 11, 1991) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at South Carolina.
Early years
San ...
against the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
, the first career receiving touchdown for Todman. In 2014, Todman again scored a receiving touchdown on a trick play from a wide receiver; once again the opponent was the Texans. However, this time the 23 yard score was thrown by
Cecil Shorts, who joined the Texans the following year. As of the 2018 off-season, these are the only touchdown receptions caught by Todman, with neither pass coming from a quarterback. Despite playing in every game in 2014 for the Jaguars, including a 62-yard touchdown run to defeat the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
in Week 16, Todman was not brought back to the Jaguars.
Carolina Panthers
On March 30, 2015, Todman was signed to a one-year deal by the Carolina Panthers. Despite leading the Panthers in rushing yards during the preseason, he was released on September 5, 2015.
Pittsburgh Steelers
![Jordan Todman](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Jordan_Todman.JPG)
On September 6, 2015, Todman was signed by the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
, against whom he had rushed for a 49-yard touchdown as a Panther during the final week of the preseason. Todman had 4 rushes all season for 22 yards, but played mostly on special teams, and was inactive for several games late in the regular season. On January 9, 2016, Todman, playing in his first postseason game, carried the ball 11 times for 65 yards while starter
Le'Veon Bell
Le'Veon Andrew Bell Sr. ( ; born February 18, 1992) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted 48th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 20 ...
and main backup
DeAngelo Williams
DeAngelo Chondon Williams (born April 25, 1983) is a former American football running back and professional wrestler. He played college football at Memphis, and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He s ...
were injured. Along with
Fitzgerald Toussaint
Fitzgerald D'Andre Toussaint (born May 4, 1990) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Michigan and signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He has also been a member of the Pittsbu ...
and
Martavis Bryant
Martavis Alexander Bryant (born December 20, 1991) is an American gridiron football wide receiver for the Vegas Vipers of the XFL. He played college football at Clemson, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the ...
who took a reverse for 44 yards, the Steelers amassed 172 rushing yards in the 2016 Wild Card game versus the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
which resulted in an 18-16 victory for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Indianapolis Colts
On March 18, 2016, Todman was signed to the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. During the preseason, Todman made several explosive plays on offense (a 42-yard catch and run touchdown, and a 24-yard run) and special teams (a blocked punt recovery for a touchdown). Todman made the 53 player regular season roster and contributed as a core special teams player, until injuries to returner
Quan Bray
Jaquan Bray (born April 28, 1993) is an American gridiron football wide receiver for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Auburn, and signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free ...
caused Todman's promotion to kick returner. In a Week 9 win over the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, Todman took the opening kick and scored the first kickoff return touchdown for the Colts since
Deji Karim
Abdul-Gafar Olatokumbo Ayodeji Lamar "Deji" Karim ( ; born November 18, 1986) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for Southern Illinois and Nor ...
did so in the 2012 season. In addition to this, Todman returned a second kick for 61 yards, setting up an
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest ...
field goal. For his performance in Week 9, he was named the Special Teams Player of the Week on November 9. Todman finished the 2016 season with 9 rushing attempts for 59 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry, the highest rate among Colts running backs. Todman also had the highest average return for kickoff returns among the Colts returners, with a 29.9 yard average (16 returns for 478 yards). He played in all 16 games for the Colts.
New York Jets
On June 13, 2017, Todman signed with the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
. He was released on August 23, 2017.
Houston Texans
On August 25, 2017, Todman signed with the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
. Todman played in 14 games, exclusively on special teams where he made several tackles and returned 4 kicks for 84 yards. It was the first season since his rookie year in which Todman had no touches on offense.
Retirement
Todman needed a year and a half to recover from a separated shoulder, suffered on Christmas day of 2017 while a member of the Texans. During the process, Todman decided to leave football behind.
In 2019, Todman served as an assistant coach for the 2019
Jacksonville Dolphins football season, the final in the history of the program prior to being shut down.
References
External links
San Diego Chargers bioMinnesota Vikings bioJacksonville Jaguars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Todman, Jordan
1990 births
Living people
Sportspeople from New Bedford, Massachusetts
Players of American football from Massachusetts
American football running backs
UConn Huskies football players
San Diego Chargers players
Minnesota Vikings players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Carolina Panthers players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Indianapolis Colts players
New York Jets players
Houston Texans players