Beyond the National Championship: Record-setting Bulldog values relationships built at SC State

             

A selfless moment during the Celebration Bowl brought wide receiver Jordan Smith national attention.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Wide receiver Jordan Smith set two records and demonstrated heartwarming sportsmanship as part of the South Carolina State University football team’s thrilling victory in the Celebration Bowl, but that’s not all he thinks about when he reflects on his time at the university.

The Bulldogs defeated Prairie View A&M 40-38 in the 10th annual Celebration Bowl Dec. 13 after four overtimes.

Smith played a critical role for the team with nine receptions for 152 receiving yards, both of which set Celebration Bowl records.

His stats also include finishing the game with three total touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns, along with five carries for 28 yards and a rushing touchdown.

His ability to make game-winning plays, however, is not the end of his story at SC State.

The Columbia, South Carolina, native graduated in the spring of 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in physical activity management and continued his studies toward another degree in the fall. He hopes to attend graduate school to obtain a Master of Business Administration.

“SC State has been amazing for me. So many life experiences by just being here, learning from everybody and just the culture and family that’s here. It’s shaped me to the man I am today,” Smith said. 

“I would say the relationships that I built here have been really key and important to me. When people say relationships are key, relationships are really key. The network, the bonds that you create — you never know where it’s going to take you in life,” he said. 

Smith was part of the Call Me MiSTER Program while at the university.

SC State is leading the way in recruiting and training teachers for South Carolina classrooms through its Call Me MiSTER Program. The program is designed to provide a pipeline of highly effective educators to South Carolina’s public schools who will serve their communities as mentors and role models.

“Call Me MiSTER was great. I got to travel the world. It helped me with my public speaking. I was in conferences talking in front of 300 people, and they’re older than me. Just talking in front of people and stuff like that, it was something new for me,” Smith said.

“It helped me get out of my shell, and it’s just been really great. All the experiences really shaped us into the young men that we are,” he said.

The spirit of brotherhood and sportsmanship that he gained from his experience on the football team was on full display during the Celebration Bowl when he carried injured wide receiver Johnny Jones off the field.

“Once I saw him limping and everything, I’m like, ‘I have to get you off the field because if I don’t get you off the field, they’re going to stop this game,’” Smith said.

“It’s like, ‘OK, that’s going to slow down the momentum.’ We don’t want to slow down our momentum. I gotta get my brother off this field so he can get what he needs to get back in this game,” he said.

He said SC State football is a brotherhood whose members take care of each other.

 “We’re always with each other. So it’s like if you really care for somebody, you’re going to show it. That’s just how we operate, that’s just how we care for our brothers,” Smith said.

Helping SC State make the largest comeback in Celebration Bowl history required confidence that Smith said came from God.

 “Every time before a game, I pray. I say, ‘Give me the strength, give me the confidence to go out here and do what I do.’ That’s something I say at every game,” said Smith, who has a tattoo that reads, “Faith is seeing the unseen.”

He is now preparing to attend the 2025 Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl, which will be held Feb. 22 at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event is a postseason all-star game that showcases the top 100 NFL draft-eligible football players from HBCUs.

“I’m real excited. This is going to showcase what I can do against all of the best players at HBCUs. That’s a big opportunity in front of scouts. I’m just training for it and going on faith,” Smith said. 

It is that faith that helped him get through his college and football journeys and is still guiding him now.

“Mentally, it was a lot for me, but it’s about just staying the course, praying and trusting God. Everything worked out,” he said.

In honor of the Celebration Bowl victory, the SC State flag will fly over the State House in Columbia on Monday, Jan. 19, from dawn until dusk. A ceremony to mark the occasion will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the State House.

SC State will celebrate the HBCU National Championship with a parade through campus and a ceremony in Oliver C. Dawson Stadium on Wednesday, April 21, beginning at 2 p.m.