Linebacker commit ready to make instant impact

AUBURN | Jordan-Hare Stadium might be a lot bigger than Duck Samford. The competition he’s about to face for playing time will be a lot tougher. Don’t expect Powell Gordon to back down.

“He's an instant impact guy,” Gordon’s high school coach Keith Etheredge said.

While Etheredge has been at Auburn High for just three months and yet to coach Gordon in a game, he's witnessed the impact that the three-star linebacker and Auburn commit has on the Tigers' team. His teammates respect him and look to him as a leader, a role that he will hold as a senior in the 2021 season for the Tigers.

"He's the full package," Etheredge said. "Great in the weight room, great in the locker room. Great leader, his motor runs all the time. He is one heck of a football player."

Those flashes of athleticism can come off the football field as well. The coach described seeing Gordon watching him in the gym the other day and pulling off what most of us can only dream of accomplishing.

"I was watching the other day and they were out there playing basketball, the ball came off the rim and he jumped up, dunks it with two hands and his elbows are over the rim."

Even at 6-foot-3, that amount of ability is impressive, but according to Etheredge, you'd never know that Gordon had this insane athleticism or even an offer to his dream school. That is until you see him in the pads on the football field.

"One of those kids who is so humble that you almost don't recognize him until he gets out there and starts playing. And then you're like, 'Oh my gosh.'"

During spring practice and 7-on-7 drills, his teammates have witnessed that Etheredge and his assistants try to fool Gordon with different plays. So how has that worked out for the offense? Not so good.

"We try to run screens and stuff, he just sniffs it out, and he's just a heck of a football player," Etheredge said.

Where Gordon plays at the collegiate level might still be up in the air. A bit undersized at 210 pounds, putting on weight will be crucial for staying at his natural position as a linebacker. However, his new coach is not worried about that as he's confident his player will work his way into playing time no matter what it takes.

"He may end up standing up more at the next level," Etheredge said. "He understands that. He's a very smart kid. He's one of those kids, he wants to lead. He wants to be that guy that everybody else turns to. And he knows, I think, he understands what it's going to take at the next level."

Growing up in the shadows of Jordan-Hare and then playing on that same field can be daunting for some. Not for Gordon, who took almost no time to commit to the Tigers after receiving an offer in February. Putting on the navy home jersey will mean a little bit more to him than most.

"He told me when he got that offer from Auburn, he had no hesitation. That's where he wants to be. And that's the thing. When you get kids like that who have had it in them their whole life, that's where they want to be, and it means something to them."

It's approximately three miles from Duck Samford to Jordan-Hare. The crowds will be larger and louder. The stakes, as a player in the SEC, will be higher. So don't be surprised when Gordon makes that transition with ease.

"He's going to be a kid that I guarantee you, steps in there and pushes for playing time," Etheredge said. "From the time he steps in the door, just because of the way he works and his athletic ability. You can line him up on the edge and come off the edge. He can... He's big enough, kind of, to take on blocks, but he can run well enough to run with people back from the backfield. And he's very physical. So even if a guy is faster than him, when he gets his hands on him, he eliminates that speed. He'll do great at Auburn."