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WAXAHACHIE – Jordan Barlow hasn’t just started at quarterback each of the past two seasons for Southwestern Assemblies of God University — he’s dominated the position.
The now-graduated signal-caller has also now signed a professional contract with the Quad City Steamwheelers of the Indoor Football League.
Barlow ended his career at SAGU as one of the most decorated football players in program history, earning awards such as two-time All-Sooner Athletic Conference, SAC Preseason Player of the Year, and NCCAA Victory Bowl Offensive MVP. Barlow also led one of SAGU’s most prolific offensive seasons in program history this past fall.
Hailing from Van Buren, Arkansas, Barlow ended his two-year career at SAGU with 4,436 passing yards, 592 rushing yards and 50 total touchdowns in just 19 games played. He compiled a career record of 13 wins and just 6 losses.
Barlow finished the 2021 season with a program-best 149.2 passer rating, which included a career-high 405 passing yards and 6 touchdowns in a 56-29 victory against Wayland Baptist on Oct. 30.
Barlow accounted for 3 or more total touchdowns in 11 games throughout his celebrated career at SAGU.
The 2021 SAGU football team set the school record for wins (9) and posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in program history. As a team, the 2021 Lions offense set records in yards gained (2,896), points scored (489), points per game (40.8), single-season rushing touchdowns (37) and first downs (284).
The Lions also won the 2021 NCCAA Victory Bowl over Sterling College.
“Jordan has been a tremendous leader, person, and a phenomenal player during his time at SAGU,” stated head SAGU football coach Ryan Smith. “He stepped immediately in and became the starting quarterback the day he walked on campus not because he can throw a football or because he can facilitate an offense, but because he is a leader.
“If you spend any amount of time with Jordan, you quickly realize how competitive he is, but also how caring he is for players and coaches and for the advancement of this program, which is why we have seen the results we’ve seen from him the last two years. I am extremely excited for Jordan and this opportunity he has earned. I will be his number one fan, and I’m just as excited about him coming back in the fall and coaching our quarterbacks.”
Following his professional debut and season, Barlow plans to return to SAGU during the 2022 season as an assistant football coach, focusing on quarterbacks.
QUAD CITY
The Quad City Steamwheelers compete in the Indoor Football League, a professional indoor American football league created in 2009 when the Intense Football League and the United Indoor Football League merged. It has the largest number of currently active teams among indoor football leagues and has continuously operated under the same name and corporate structure longer than any other current indoor football leagues.
There are currently 16 teams in the IFL, with 11 of those teams playing in 2021 and additional expansion is expected in the coming years. Eight of the 16 teams are in top-50 media markets.
The IFL is considered to be the highest level of professional indoor football in the United States.
The Quad City Steamwheelers were rebirthed and began play in 2018. They are based in Moline, Illinois, playing their home games at the TaxSlayer Center. They were unable to play during the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was announced in September 2021 that they would return for the 2022 season. Since their re-creation in 2018, the Steamwheelers have a 15-12 record.
