Rocky Top Spotlight: Jordan Crooks

The University of Tennessee campus has witnessed incredible athletic success throughout the years, with student-athletes walking the hallowed grounds while garnering titles like Olympian, National Champion or Player of the Year. An exclusive group etched their names within the history of their respective sport and went on to become hall of famers. Vols and Lady Vols through the ages consistently ascend to the pinnacle of competition, and the current student-athletes are no exception. Rocky Top Spotlight is an effort to shine a big orange light on the many elite competitors at Tennessee.

After seven SEC medals, five total weeks spent as the SEC Swimmer of the Week, six program records set, five All-American recognitions and one world championship title—by just his sophomore season—Jordan Crooks has proved himself to be an unstoppable force in the water and one of the top swimmers in the world.

Arriving on Rocky Top, it took no time at all for Crooks to get off the block, both physically and figuratively. With a breakout season as a freshman, Crooks finished his first year as a Volunteer by clocking the fastest time ever by an NCAA freshman in the 50 free (18.53) and 100 free (41.16)—both of which marked new program records.

Five total school records would fall to Crooks, whether individual or relay, throughout the 2021-22 season, including a blazing 100 fly (45.33) and as a member of the 400 free relay (2:48.46) and 400 medley relay (3:04.01) lineups.

Crooks was sure to stay close to the podium during his freshman year, winning 10 individual races throughout the season. By the end of the year, Crooks held a spot on the 2022 All-SEC first team and was named the 2022 SwimSwam Breakout Swimmer of the Year thanks winning the 50 free title at the SEC Championships and then being the only freshman in the country to advance to the A finals in both sprint freestyles at NCAAs.

Still, Jordan Crooks keeps getting faster.

Already surpassing his efforts as a freshman, Crooks' name doesn't just appear in the Big Orange record books. In his second season on Rocky Top, he put on a show during the midseason Tennessee Invitational, clocking a sensational 18.27 effort in the 50 free to shatter the program record and following it up with an impressive time of 41.17 in the 100 free—both of which stand as the fastest times in the NCAA for the year. His 100 fly (44.79) ranks second overall in Division I, and he currently occupies the 11th spot in the 100 back (45.55), which is an event he had only swam once in college entering the season.

In the relays, Crooks is a major factor in spearheading the speedy lineups, as the groups currently own top-10 times nationally in all five relays: 400 free relay (1st/2:47.27), 200 free relay (2nd/1:15.32), 400 medley relay (4th/3:03.77), 800 free relay (7th/6:17.27) and 200 medley relay (8th/1:23.84).

While Crooks' versatility is obvious to anyone who sees him in the pool, his true elite ability lies with his jaw-dropping performances in the 50 freestyle. When he broke the Tennessee record in the event in November, the impact reached wider than just on Rocky Top. The 18.27 time marked the second-fastest effort in NCAA history. In an event that was separated by 0.08 seconds between the top four spots at NCAAs last year, Crooks' nation-leading time is a staggering 0.56 seconds faster than that of the next best swimmer (18.83)—the same amount of time as the gap between second and 25th. But he still wasn't done there.

Crooks reached one of the major milestones in the sport to conclude 2022, garnering the title of World Champion. After a long week of competition at the 2022 FINA Short Course World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, the Cayman Islands native finally earned his shining moment by winning gold in the 50 free with a strong 20.46 finish. Crooks is the first Cayman Islands swimmer ever to medal at a major world event, and the success vaulted him to the top of the sport as one of the fastest rising superstars.

As the postseason approaches with the SEC Championships beginning on Feb. 14, Crooks will look to defend his title in the 50 free and bring home even more hardware. Last season, the Vols tied for second at SECs, marking their best finish since 2001. This year, Crooks and the squad have their eyes set on one goal: SEC Champions.

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jordan Crooks

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