Utah to wear helmets honoring fallen teammates Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe vs. USC

Utah players will have Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe on their helmets when they play USC on Oct. 15.

Monday, the Utes revealed special edition helmets for their game against the Trojans. The incredible hand-painted helmets will feature Jordan and Lowe's faces on them. Both players were killed in shootings less than a year apart in 2020 and 2021.

Jordan was the Pac-12 offensive freshman of the year in the shortened 2020 season. He had 723 rushing and receiving yards that year and scored six TDs in five games. He died of a self-inflicted accidental gunshot wound in his home state of Texas, on Dec. 26, 2020. He was 19 years old.

Jordan wore No. 22 while with the Utes, the same number that his good friend Lowe also wore. Lowe was killed on Sept. 21, 2021 after he was shot at a house party in Salt Lake City. Lowe was buried next to Jordan in their hometown of Mesquite, Texas. After Lowe’s death, the entire Pac-12 painted the hashmarks at each 22-yard line red the following week.

Utah retired the No. 22 in 2021 as the number became the first jersey retired in program history. The school also set up scholarships in their names and won the Pac-12 on the way to a Rose Bowl appearance at the end of the 2021 season. The helmets that Utah will wear against USC are the second special-edition helmets the team has worn to honor the two players. The Utes wore white helmets with a special decal against Colorado in November of 2021.

The Utes open the 2022 season Saturday at Florida in one of the marquee non-conference games of the season. The Oct. 15 game between Utah and USC is widely seen as a pivotal matchup in the race to the Pac-12 championship game.