Dolphins’ First Rounder Dion Jordan Named HC at Eureka College

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Former Miami Dolphins DE Dion Jordan named head coach at Eureka College.

In 2013, the Miami Dolphins made a bold move in the NFL Draft. They owned the 12th-overall pick, but general manager Jeff Ireland (remember him? Dez Bryant does) wanted more.

So, they called the Oakland Raiders and traded their first- and second-round picks that year to move up to No. 3 so they could select University of Oregon defensive end Dion Jordan. (Side note: Does anyone else think that a second rounder is peanuts to move from 12 to 3? That draft was awful, but still).

It didn’t work out for Jordan on the NFL level and he got labeled the dreaded b-word. But, that hasn’t stopped him from moving on to bigger and better things.

Still just 35-years old, Jordan recently became the new head coach at Division III Eureka College. Jordan was previously working for Eureka as the assistant head coach and now he’s the head honcho.

What happened to Dion Jordan in the NFL after the Miami Dolphins drafted him?

The Dolphins released Jordan in March of 2017 after four seasons with the team. He was really only on the field for two of them due to a suspension for a substance-abuse policy violation. He had just three sacks in his time in Miami.

“Ain’t nobody else’s fault,” Jordan said in summer 2025. “And look, I watch these kids now and I realize what I was messing up.”

Jordan wants the college kids to learn from his mistakes.

“I didn’t have my life in order,” Jordan told O.J. McDuffie and Seth Levit on The Fish Tank podcast.

Jordan said his life off of the field “wasn’t in balance,” and that he wasn’t picking up the Dolphins’ playbook.

“When I left the facility, it didn’t help because I’m out partying,” Jordan said. “I’m enjoying the money that I have and I’m just putting myself behind the eight-ball. I’m hurt, you know. Sometimes I’m missing my rehabs, so that’s not helping.”

Why did the Miami Dolphins draft Dion Jordan?

In 2016, ESPN’s James Walker took a look back at the Dolphins’ decision to move up and get Jordan from a football perspective. Sure, Jordan came with baggage, but they also didn’t need him. They already had Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon, why would Ireland move up nine spots to the top of an NFL draft to take a player who wasn’t a position of need and wasn’t a quarterback?

This is why. You see? This is why. This is why the Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game in 25 years. This kind of stuff right here.

“It was a major mistake that the team is still paying for three years later,” Walker wrote. “Jordan came to Miami with a significant shoulder injury. The Dolphins didn’t view it as a problem, but it hampered Jordan during parts of his rookie season. Jordan’s decisions off the field were undeniably an issue.

“He was suspended six games in 2014 for violating the NFL’s performance enhancement and substance abuse policies. In 2015, Jordan was suspended the entire season for being a repeat offender in the league’s substance abuse program. The team isn’t even sure if Jordan wants to play football again in 2016 once his suspension is lifted.”

Well, he didn’t and he eventally went on to sign with the Seattle Seahawks where he stayed for two years and then played another two season in the NFL, retiring after the 2020 season.

Micah Warren Micah Warren has been covering the NFL – and sports in general – for more than 20 years and he began writing for Heavy in 2025. His work has been featured in Yahoo!, MSN.com, Forbes, amNewYork, Off the Record, GCobb.com, Muck Rack, PR Daily, Blast Magazine and other sports and non-sports-related outlets. More about Micah Warren