West Coast Canes Brotherhood
By Christy Cabrera Chirinos
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Brevin Jordan heard the news the same way almost everyone else did.
The Hurricanes tight end was home, relaxing, when a text message popped up on his phone.
“Go look at Twitter,” was all Bubba Bolden had written.
It didn’t take long after for Jordan to discover that Bolden, his former high school and youth league teammate, had taken to social media to announce he was transferring to Miami.
A “pretty fun” phone call ensued and instantly, two childhood friends knew they would be reunited, even if that reunion would come with the pair more than 2,500 miles from home.
“He surprised me, but it was really exciting,” Jordan said. “I didn’t think he’d be a good fit for us here. I knew he’d be a good fit for us. He’s fast, he’s athletic, he’s rangy and his personality … we’re both really outgoing and funny and we fit in with all these South Florida dudes. They’re the same way, very outgoing. It’s all just a big bond we’ve created here.”
Said Bolden, “It’s pretty amazing, honestly. You never really think things will pan out this way or come to this. Brevin told me in high school he was going to Miami and I was like, ‘Man, that’s far away, bro. … Go do you, ball out.’ We went our separate ways, but God just brought us back together. It’s fun to be out here with him, competing every day and getting better.”
Bolden and Jordan aren’t the only ones celebrating their opportunity to play together again.
Back home in Las Vegas, where the safety and tight end once starred at powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School, their families are relishing the players’ reunion, too.
For them, it’s a comfort to know that in the moments when they can’t be there physically for Bolden and Jordan, the two have each other to rely on both on and off the field, as they have for years through a series of personal challenges.
“They have a brotherhood,” said Breezy Bolden, Bubba’s mother. “Bubba’s been there when Brevin’s had to endure a death in his family. Brevin was there when we went through a divorce. When you’ve been around someone since you were little, since you were kids, you have that connection. And that’s what they have, just a bond and a chemistry.”
Added Beverly Jordan, Brevin’s mother, “I can’t even describe how comforting it is. Brevin’s made some great friends there. He’s got a brotherhood at Miami. But Bubba and Brevin have known each other forever. Bubba was sleeping over at our house when they were 11 years old. They know each other. They know the innermost workings of each other’s minds and they have each other’s backs.”
As close as they may be – and Bolden and Jordan are literally close, now living four doors away from each other in the same apartment complex – on the football field, though, there is fierce competition.
At Bishop Gorman, Bolden changed positions, moving from quarterback to safety and suddenly, he went from throwing the ball to his best friend to having to cover him in practice.
It worked out well for both, with Bolden and Jordan both earning All-American honors as Bishop Gorman piled up win after win. The pair became highly recruited prospects, with major college football programs across the country working to add each to their rosters.
Bolden initially opted to stay on the West Coast, signing with USC and working his way up the depth chart before he was suspended after an incident at an off-campus party. The safety opted to leave USC and start fresh after that. It didn’t take long for him to consider Miami, where Jordan had earned recognition as a second-team All-ACC selection as a freshman.
Jordan, for his part, encouraged Bolden to join him in Coral Gables. And Jordan urged the Hurricanes’ coaching staff to give Bolden an opportunity to join the Miami secondary.
That, too, proved an experience that brought the pair even closer.
“It meant the world to me that he did that,” said Bolden, who has totaled seven tackles in three games this season. “That’s loyalty. I’ve helped him out through some hard stuff in high school and when I hit bottom, he helped me out, big time. He helped give me the opportunity to come to The U and play. That’s big time for me.”
Said Jordan, who has a team-high 438 receiving yards and is averaging 15.6 yards per catch, “That’s my brother. It was my responsibility to be there for him. But again, if I wasn’t confident in his talents, I couldn’t have done that. That’s how confident I am in his skill set. Strength, speed, everything he brings to the game, I just knew he was a talented football player.”
But, as close as Bolden and Jordan are, there’s plenty of good-natured ribbing between them, especially when they line up against each other on the Greentree Practice Field.
“He absolutely cannot cover me. He absolutely cannot,” Jordan said. “And he knows it. I tell him that every day that we go against each other.”
Hearing that, Bolden laughed.
“I made Brevin who he is today,” he countered.
Their teammates can’t help but chuckle when the two start jawing at each other, but they know the two bring out the best in each other, which will not only help Bolden and Jordan improve as individuals, but help pay dividends for the Hurricanes as a whole, too.
“It’s always funny. Whenever either one wins, it’s all bragging rights,” safety Amari Carter said. “It’s like Big Brother versus Little Brother and whoever wins is the Big Brother in that moment. Then it becomes, ‘Do it again, do it again.’ It’s fun watching them compete, but you also see the chemistry. When you’ve been with someone that long, you always want to compete with them and be better than them. … It’s always a funny competition with them.”
Along with sharing a friendship and hoping to help the Hurricanes win as many games as possible, Bolden and Jordan share another goal: proving to players from the West Coast that they, too, can succeed at Miami.
And being far from home isn’t always as challenging as they might think, especially with help.
“We’re trying to start a little trend and get some more West Coast guys over here,” Jordan said. “It helps the team. We have guys with so many different backgrounds, you mix that all together and it’s a big bowl of talent. A huge bowl of talent. I mean, I think what we’re doing will help on the recruiting trail. It will help the next group of guys.”
Said Bolden, “A big part of my coming here was knowing I had a brother here. Him and [fellow Bishop Gorman alum] Tate [Martell]. Knowing no matter what, we always have each other’s backs. Through any hard times, we’re going to be there for each other. … Now, we want to win a national championship again. Just, this time, we’ll do it in college.”
