Ta‘amu’s loyalty rewarded by Ole Miss

Making a name for himself in college football did not come easy for quarterback Jordan Ta‘amu.

It wasn’t just the football part, there was also the matter of the pronunciation, no small obstacle in Mississippi.

Ta‘amu spent much of his first year at Ole Miss in 2017 patiently explaining to teammates and fans that his last name is pronounced “Tah-AH-moo” — and did not rhyme with “Shamu.”

“Some people,” he said, gave up. ‘They didn’t even try, they just called me J.T.”

But the best resolution eventually came through what he did on the field. Ta’amu stepped into the starting quarterback role late in the 2017 season and handled it with such aplomb that head coach Matt Luke was moved to declare it “his (Ta‘amu’s) team” when spring practice got underway this month.

The vote of confidence resonates with Ta‘amu entering his senior season. “Spring is important for me because it is going to be my last season. It has been awesome working with this team and I’m excited for what the future holds.”

That Ole Miss has something to look forward to this year in the wake of a tumultuous period of NCAA sanctions is, in part, attributable to Ta’amu, who could hardly have imagined ending up in Oxford, Miss., after leading Pearl City High to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II playoffs in 2014.

“I had no clue about Ole Miss in high school,” Ta‘amu said. “I was just about UH and I was about the West Coast teams.”

But a paucity of full-ride scholarship offers sent him to the New Mexico Military Institute, a junior college, in Roswell, N. M., where he hoped to open some eyes.

A sophomore year in which Ta‘amu was second in touchdown passes (32) and third in passing yardage (334.9 yards per game) among National Junior College Athletic Association players resulted in offers from Minnesota, New Mexico, Eastern Kentucky, Ole Miss and UH.

The visit to Ole Miss and the opportunity to play in the Southeastern Conference quickly swung the deal. “I committed right there, on my recruiting trip,” Ta‘amu said.

That he was penciled in as a backup to Shea Patterson, who had been the the top-ranked high school quarterback recruit the year before, according to some recruiting services, or that Ole Miss was set to go on postseason probation did not deter Ta‘amu.

“I could have (left) right after the sanctions went down but I told the coaches, ‘I’m 100 percent committed and I’m going to come in and compete,’ ” Ta‘amu said. “My whole mentality was to go for the starting job and compete. I prepared each week like I was going to be the starter because I felt I just needed an opening and, when I got it, I wanted to make the most of it.”

When Patterson suffered a knee injury that ended his season in October, Ta‘amu was ready. And, remarkably poised for someone debuting on such a stage.

Ta‘amu passed for 368 yards in a 38-37 loss to Arkansas, the most yards by a Rebel quarterback making his first start. He followed it up with 382 yards and four touchdowns in a 37-34 comeback victory over Kentucky, becoming the first Ole Miss quarterback to pass for more than 350 yards in consecutive SEC games.

In his five starts, Ta‘amu went 3-2 and was preparing to battle for the starting job in 2018 when Patterson chose to transfer to Michigan.

Being “the” quarterback on a major college team, “was my hope and my dream,” Ta‘amu said. “I just followed that dream.”

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.