Bakersfield’s Jordan Love Up Next
It’s been a few years in the making but Jordan love will finally be am NFL starting quarterback. The Bakersfield native will enter another segment of his football life.
By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
It’s been a few years in the making but Jordan love will finally be am NFL starting quarterback. The Bakersfield native will enter another segment of his football life.
Love attended Liberty High where he played on the football team. Initially quite small in stature. Love served as the back-up quarterback for the freshman team. Midway through his junior year, he became the starting quarterback for the varsity team, a position he would hold for the rest of his time as a prep player.
As a senior, under head coach Bryan Nixon Love passed for 2,148 yards and 24 touchdowns. and rushed for 806 yards with eight touchdowns. He led the Patriots to the State semi-final that season.
The now 25-year-old is the son of Anna Love and Orbin Love from Bakersfield, California. Orbin was a sergeant at the local police department while Anna worked several years for California Highway Patrol (CHIPS)
Jordan inherited his father’s athletic ability. Orbin was a former high school quarterback who played collegiately and made it to the JC level before joining the police force.
Jordan and his father were close, with Orbin Jr. coaching many of his son’s sports teams. At some point a doctor changed his medication, Orbin’s behavior became abnormal and he committed suicide a short time later. Love was 14 years old when his father died; he contemplated quitting football, but his mother encouraged him to continue for another year to make sure he was not making a rash decision.
Love has three sisters Kami, Emily, and Alexis. The eldest of the four siblings is Kami who is currently 34.
Likewise, his second sister, Emily Love Hough is a Taft College graduate who has worked as a certified dental hygienist since August 2019.
He had a scholarship offer from Utah State that landed him in Logan, Utah. He redshirted his freshman year. As a sophomore in 2018, Love started all 13 games, completing 267 of 417 passes for a school season record 3,567 yards with 32 touchdowns and six interceptions. He was a marvel with the ball-a quick release, hitting players in stride, wide open and also threading the needle perfectly with others. After passing for 359 yards and four touchdowns. His team finished the season with an 11–2 record and ranked No. 22 on the AP poll. Following his sophomore season, he was expected to be a future NFL first-round draft pick.
The dream came true as he was selected the 26th overall pick by the Packers in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He served as the back-up quarterback to starter Aaron Rodgers for three years, before being named the starting quarterback of the Packers for the 2023 NFL.
Rodgers had to go through the same. He had to wait four years behind four-time MVP Brett Favre before he got a shot to start.
New York Jets future Hall of Fame quarterback Rodgers said that ex-teammate and Green Bay Packers signal-caller Jordan Love has “all the talent in the world” amid an exclusive interview with Bill Huber of Packer Central about the four-time NFL MVP’s successor.
“It just comes down to being your own man and do things the way you want to do it. The things that he watched me do that he would do differently, do it differently. Be your own guy, that’s awesome. You should do that. He’s a great kid. He’s got all the talent in the world. They’ve got a really young team, so he’s got an opportunity to be exactly who he wants to be and be the leader that he wants to be. I’m excited for him.”
Head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst had their starting quarterback play in all three preseason contests.
Love appears to be a more relaxed player having a successful preseason by completing 21-of-33 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 32 yards on five carries. Rodgers caught a little of Love’s preseason work and said he “looks great.”
“At this point I think I’m definitely ready for Week 1 and carrying on throughout the season,” said Love. “I think these first two (preseason) games were a lot of good work, obviously getting the practice in with Cincy and with the Patriots as well. But I think playing in that last game with just me getting more reps, just getting more comfortable, seeing new looks, going against a different team, I don’t think would hurt.”
Love has seen some work here and there thus far, completing 50-of-83 passes for 606 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He was particularly good in 2022 in limited action, completing 14-of-21 passes for 195 yards and a score.
The ex-Liberty high and Utah State star will now lead the Packers into the 2023 campaign beginning this Sunday, Sept. 10 against the Chicago Bears.
Head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst to have their starting quarterback play in all three preseason contests.
It’s not just an NFL team, it’s a storied franchise. They are the only publicly owned team in the NFL. There is no single owner.
The Packers have the second most players (28) in the Pro-Football Hall of Fame. The Chicago Bears have the most 30. The Super Bowl Trophy (Lombardi Trophy) is named after the former head coach.
The ball is in Love’s court now. He has plenty of support coming from the football world and the entire city of Bakersfield pulling for him.
Earl Heath has been covering sports in So-Cal and Nationally for 20 years. He can be contacted at [email protected]
