Fort Vancouver graduate Jordan Suell was coming off an eye-popping performance when The Spring League shut down.
In a 42-28 victory, he hauled in four passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns, including a 71-yard grab that highlighted exactly what the 6-foot-5 wide receiver can bring to a professional football team.
His Generals were 3-0 and one win away from the championship of the six-team league, which prides itself as being the world’s top developmental football league.
Hours before the final regular season game’s scheduled start time, Suell got the word: the remainder of the season was canceled in response to COVID-19.
“It was definitely a disappointment,” said Suell, who caught three touchdown passes in his three games with the Generals.
The league, which had games broadcast live on Fox Sports, operated out of a bubble in Las Vegas. Players from six teams stayed in hotels and practiced daily.
“It was a great experience,” Suell said. “Coming from college to get to be around players who have played in the pros — the NFL, CFL … I saw that I have what it takes to play at this level.”
While making some big plays on national television was a new experience for a player who donned Fort Vancouver High and then Southern Oregon University colors, it was the playbooks and coach expectations that were the biggest adjustment for Suell.
College playbooks were simpler and the amount of information given in a huddle paled in comparison to what was expected from the professional coaches at The Spring League.
“They can call two plays at a time and then kill one play at the line of scrimmage,” Suell said. “There’s a lot of things to be prepared for whatever the defense might show.”
Suell didn’t hear his name in the NFL Draft last spring, nor did he land on a professional roster before his agent called him with an opportunity to play in The Spring League.
Still, he’s confident between his game film and practice footage from the bubble experience, he showed he belongs.
Suell is back home and living with his parents in Vancouver. He hopes to land on a Canadian Football League or NFL roster at some point in the near future.
“I think it helped my stock a lot,” Suell said of The Spring League. “I always feel confident that I can get there some way, somehow. I just keep reminding myself to keep working and preparing for when I get that shot.”
UPDATE: The Spring League recently announced that the championship game, which will feature Suell’s Generals, will take place at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 15, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The game will be broadcast on FS1.
