Every great offense needs a security blanket that the quarterback can consistently turn to when the going gets tough. The type of guy who racks up a handful of targets and big plays in each game without fail.
Through all the injury problems and personnel changes at quarterback, the Idaho Vandals offense has relied on standout sophomore wideout Jordan Dwyer to fill that role, and he has done exactly that. Not only has he established himself as the team’s top receiving target, but he has become one of the most prolific offensive weapons in the Big Sky.
“Dwyer is a very reliable target who has played well all year and been effective no matter who is in at QB,” head coach Jason Eck said.
Dwyer played a role in the Idaho offense for two seasons before breaking out in 2024. He maintained his redshirt eligibility after only playing in four games in 2022 due to an ankle injury that caused him to require surgery. He scored touchdowns in both games prior to the injury and finished the year averaging 34 receiving yards per game.
“Getting healthy again and coming back even stronger was the main thing I overcame,” Dwyer said. “I feel like I’ve been prepared to be the guy, I was just waiting for my opportunity.”
Last season, Dwyer found his role in the offense below the team’s top options on the depth chart, Hayden Hatten and Jermaine Jackson. He scored four touchdowns and made some explosive plays, including a 36-yard touchdown in the Vandal’s season finale. He was a dynamic option but was by no means a premier target in a passing game that received most of its production from Hatten and Jackson.
With Hatten and Jackson both departing for the NFL, the wideout room had big holes to fill. However, the offense has seemingly not skipped a beat, averaging over 28 points per game throughout the regular season. This smooth transition can be credited to Dwyer, the leader of the new receiving room, along with his counterpart Mark Hamper who has been riding a hot streak as of late.
Hamper leads the Big Sky in yards per catch and has the third most total receiving yards in the conference. Dwyer has been extremely versatile all year and he ranks among the top six in the conference for receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns.
“Hamper and Dwyer have had outstanding seasons and been great playmakers for us,” Eck said. “They have really stepped up to fill the void of the great wide receivers we lost last year with Hatten and Jackson.”
Dwyer has posted an impressive 60 catches for 837 yards and 8 TDs through 12 games this season. He has scored touchdowns in more games than he has not. A good indication of how crucial his play has been to this offense: the Vandals are 7-0 when Dwyer scores at least one touchdown. They are 2-3 when the opposition manages to hold him out of the endzone.
Idaho’s offense has had to adjust to continuous cycling through quarterbacks due to injury and strategic reasons.
“It’s been tough dealing with different QBs, but they’ve all done a great job,” Dwyer said. “We’ve been able to be productive as I show them every day in practice the type of player that I am and just continuing to build connections and trust with those guys.”
Dwyer gives a lot of credit for this team’s resiliency to his coaches and the game plans they have made to give the team the best chance at a win each week.
“The coaching staff has played to our players’ strengths and made sure everyone is comfortable out there with the game plan,” Dwyer said. “Sometimes when your QB goes down, you have to simplify things a little bit, which has worked for us.”
There have been a handful of times on third down this season where everyone in the Kibbie Dome knew exactly who the ball was going to on the next play. That is how reliable and dominant Dwyer has been as a vertical threat, game in and game out. His ability to outmaneuver defenders and come down with incredible catches on 50-50 jump balls is unmatched.
Dwyer began his football career as a running back, the position he shined at until 7th grade. In 7th grade, he transitioned to wide receiver, and shortly thereafter became a prominent high school football player. He says he realized his potential to play Division-1 football in his freshman and sophomore years of high school and continued to separate himself through his upperclassman years.
Dwyer attended Puyallup High School in his hometown of Puyallup, Washington. He was somewhat underrecruited, coming out of high school as a 3-star recruit with 1 FBS and 5 FCS offers.
Dwyer elected to attend Idaho because “I thought I could come in and make an impact right away, and I felt a connection with the coaching staff as well.” He says despite the improvement in speed and strength at the collegiate level, he considered it a smooth transition as he settled into the college football atmosphere watching the preparation of Hatten and Jackson.
Dwyer looks forward to the final stretch of the season, adding that this Idaho team is very battle-tested and more of a tight-knit group than last year’s team.
It is clear that being a Vandal means something more to Dwyer, who has earned his role as the team’s starting wide receiver.
“Every single game, suiting up with my brothers; blood, sweat and tears with those guys,” Dwyer said. “Every day is a great experience. I’m very blessed and I cherish it.”
Liam Bradford can be reached at [email protected]
David Bradford
Another great read! Informative and personal!