Winning four individual state titles is far beyond the wildest dreams of most wrestlers in the state of Ohio. When you’re a member of the Jordan family, however, winning four crowns has almost become the norm.
Jim, Jeff, Bo, and Micah Jordan – all of the same blood – are among the few in Ohio to achieve such a feat. While Jim and Jeff Jordan (Micah’s uncle and father) were standout wrestlers for Wisconsin, Bo, Jeff's son, opted to stay closer to home and wrestle for Ohio State. A year later, Micah came to the same conclusion as his older brother and signed with the Buckeyes.
We spoke with Micah about the pressure of winning four in a row, his take on the recruiting process, and when we’ll see him hit the mat for the Buckeyes.
You recently won your fourth individual state title, but you’re not the first Jordan to do so by a long shot. Does following behind Jim, Jeff, and Bo Jordan take some of the shine off of the accomplishment?
Micah Jordan: No, it was still exciting. I was glad to follow in their footsteps. It helped me keep my focus and stay on the right track. I just kept working hard and was able to get my fourth.
Many of the people reading this will be aware, but for those that aren’t, you wrestled for your dad at Graham High School and your team just clinched a 14th-consecutive team title. Do you feel like you always had a target on your back, not only being a member of the Jordan family, but also because you wrestled for a program like Graham?
MJ: Graham has always been tough, so people are out there to beat us. It is good when people are after you because it keeps you focused and working hard. We were able to set the state record with 14-straight state titles, which was an awesome achievement. I hope they’re able to keep ripping them out in the future.
You ultimately decided to sign with Ohio State even after your uncle, dad, and cousins Ben and Isaac Jordan made their way to Madison. How much thought did you give to becoming a Badger?
“When I visited Ohio State, I knew right away that it was the school for me.”
MJ: A little bit. When Bo committed to Ohio State, my options were Ohio State, Purdue, a little bit of Iowa, and Penn State. When I visited Ohio State, I knew right away that it was the school for me. It’s going to be great to have Bo on the team there with me.
Speaking of Bo, did he let you in on his experiences, or did he let you figure out the decision on your own?
MJ: Bo had a big impact on where I wanted to go to college. He just said “Mick, I love you wherever you go. You just have to go to the best place for you.” He told me that he’d love to have me as a teammate, and I just felt like Ohio State was the best place for me.
Graham has a well-known history of churning out top collegiate wrestlers. Looking at yourself right now, where do you think that you have the most room to grow before you’re a top college wrestler?
MJ: The teammates that I’ll have at Ohio State are unbelievable. I’ll be working with Logan Stieber and Hunter Stieber, and both of them are great wrestlers. They’ll help me push to get better. The coaches are amazing and they’ll help me improve every day.
I’m pretty decent on my feet, but I can definitely improve. With mat wrestling, it’s a lot different in college with the chance to earn the riding point. I know that the guys are tough at this level, and I’ll really need to work on my mat skills. I’ve got a lot of work to do on the bottom, but also on the top so I can work towards earning that extra point for riding time.
You made a bit of a jump in your senior year (up two classes from 132 to 145). Did you find that wrestling up in weight was any different, or was it business as usual?
MJ: It was a little bit of a change with stronger guys. You just have to adapt with your wrestling and use your technique. In the room, I wrestled some of the bigger guys and smaller guys. What it really comes down to is just going out there and wrestling your match at 100% every time.
Your brother, Bo, wrestled a little bit of freestyle this summer. Can we expect you to start wrestling in the summer in freestyle tournaments as well?
MJ: Definitely. I haven’t wrestled in any freestyle tournaments yet, but I’ve wrestled a little bit with Coach Leng (former Buckeye wrestler and current Graham assistant coach) and some of the guys at the Ohio RTC. I’ll start wrestling this year in some freestyle tournaments.
You mentioned the Stieber brothers and you fall right around them weight-wise. Do you think you’re going to take a shot at cracking the starting lineup this season, or are you planning on taking a redshirt?
MJ: I’m probably going to redshirt, but you just never know what will happen. I’m just going to keep training and keep my goals in mind. I am going to do my best to be ready to step on the line when they need me. You just never know what will happen, but I’m going to try to be ready if they need me, whether I have to take a redshirt or not.
If you were going to wrestle this year, what weight do you think you’ll be at?
MJ: I’m probably a 149-pounder or maybe 157. With how I’ve been growing over the years, I’ll probably be at 149.
As the oldest of 3 wrestlers, I know that one of our favorite things to argue about is bragging rights. Looking at you and your brother, do you have anywhere that you feel like you have bragging rights over him? Maybe you can take him down or turn him or he can’t stop your armbar or anything like that?
MJ: I don’t have any advantage. He can take me deep. We have been wrestling hard and we spend lots of time drilling together. He’s just really tough. That’s what the big brother is for.
Wrestle-offs for this season’s starting lineup will be held on October 16th. If Micah does indeed redshirt as he indicated, he will likely compete at the Michigan State Open in November, as well as a host of other Open tournaments throughout the season.
