Jordan Gross

Lore & Background

Gross was born in Nampa, Idaho. He attended Fruitland High School in Fruitland, Idaho, where he was a letterman in football, basketball, and track and field. In football, he was a first-team all-state selection as both an offensive and defensive lineman as a senior, and helped lead his team win the conference championship as a sophomore. In basketball, he won all-conference honors. He was involved in tae kwon do since age 6, earning a black belt. While at Utah, he redshirted his freshman year, then started three games and played in the Las Vegas Bowl. He received honorable mention All-MWC in 2000 and 2001, and first-team All-MWC and consensus first-team All-American in 2002. He was a finalist for the Outland Trophy. He was drafted 8th overall in 2003 by Carolina, started every game at right tackle as a rookie, and did not miss a single offensive play. He moved to left tackle in 2004 and back to right tackle in 2005. He was named the Panthers' franchise player in 2008 and signed a six-year contract in 2009. He broke his ankle in 2009 and retired on February 25, 2014. He is currently the offensive line coach for the Utah Utes. He was inducted into the Panthers' Hall of Honor in 2019 and named to the Panthers' radio team as a color analyst.

In Their Own Story

The November wind off the Catawba River cut through the upper deck of Bank of America Stadium, but nobody in the black-and-blue sea of seats seemed to notice. On the field, the Panthers' left tackle dropped into his three-point stance, pads locked, eyes locked on the edge rusher across the line. The snap came. The rusher came inside, violent and fast, but the tackle's hand found the hip, the shoulder found the chest, and the whole mass of the man simply did not move. The quarterback stepped up into the pocket, dropped back, and fired a laser down the sideline. The crowd roared, a low thunder that rolled off the end-zone walls. The tackle stood up, wiped his helmet visor with a gloved fist, and was already calling out the next alignment. No one on the sideline would know his name. They always did.

Reader's Guide

Jordan Gross played his entire NFL career with the Carolina Panthers from 2003 to 2013. He was a consensus All-American at Utah and a first-round pick. He is now the offensive line coach for the Utah Utes.

Did You Know?

• Gross was a consensus first-team All-American in 2002 and a finalist for the Outland Trophy.
• He did not allow any sacks in his final two seasons at Utah.
• He started every game as a rookie and did not miss a single offensive play.
• He was inducted into the Panthers' Hall of Honor in 2019.