FRACKVILLE — Major Jordan has dreams of playing in the 2017 Big 33 Football Classic.
He’ll get an early taste of what that experience might be like Saturday night at Hersheypark Stadium.
Jordan, who will be a junior this fall at North Schuylkill, was named to the Big 33’s Ultimate Hot 100, a list of rising seniors and juniors considered by the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches’ Association to be among the premier high school football prospects in Pennsylvania.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound fullback/linebacker will be honored at halftime of Saturday’s 58th Big 33 Football Classic and will sit in a section with the other Hot 100 players right behind the Pennsylvania bench.
“It actually really surprised me,” Jordan said. “I work hard and go out and try to do the best that I can. When I received (the letter), I was very excited about it. It’s a great honor to have.”
The son of Ron and Robyn Jordan, Frackville, Major has been a two-year starter for the Spartans, excelling on defense.
As a freshman, Jordan recorded 100 tackles from his linebacker spot and earned Republican-Herald All-Area second-team honors on defense as North Schuylkill went 8-4 and reached the Eastern Conference Class AA championship game.
Last fall, Jordan scored 10 touchdowns and compiled 103 tackles in 11 games as the Spartans went 10-0 in the regular season, won the Anthracite Football League crown and advanced to the District 11 Class AA final before falling to Northwestern Lehigh.
He spearheaded a defensive unit that pitched four shutouts, held four other teams to just one score and allowed an average of 10.7 points per game.
Jordan was named as a first-team linebacker to the Pennsylvania Football Writers’
Class AA All-State team, All-EasternPAFootball.com Small-School (AA-A) team, Republican-Herald All-Area team, Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Dream Team, SCFCA North squad and Anthracite Football League all-star team.
He was also a SCFCA North first-team fullback and a second-team linebacker on the Pennsylvania Football News Class AA All-State team.
With several key components returning, Jordan and the Spartans are already gearing up for another postseason run.
“Right now we’re having our summer practices,” Jordan said. “We all work together, do a lot of team bonding so that we become a family. That gets us ready for the season.
“I want to thank my coaches, my teammates and my family,” he continued. “Without them, getting named to something like this wouldn’t be possible.”
The 17-year-old has already been contacted by three Division I colleges — Penn State, Temple, Boston College — and several FCS schools. He was an invited on-field guest for Penn State’s Blue-White Game in April.
“It’s a great process. I love it,” Jordan said. “It could be fast at times, it could be slow at times.
“It’s fun, it’s enjoyable. I just have to go along with it. It’s a great opportunity, very exciting.”
There are no local players on the Pennsylvania roster for this year’s Big 33 Football Classic, which kicks off at 7:06 p.m. Saturday.
Practices for both the Pennsylvania and Maryland squads will be held twice a day the rest of the week at Lower Dauphin High School.
Jordan is excited about being able to participate in the experience.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity to go to the game and see some of the best players in Pennsylvania,” Jordan said. “It will be great to experience the game because maybe one day I’ll be playing in the Big 33 Game, too.”