The Effingham County football team can count on the Dillon brothers.
The Rebels can depend on older brother Jordan Dillon, a senior offensive lineman and Georgia Tech commitment, to protect Matt Dillon, a sophomore quarterback having a stellar season as a first-year starter.
Effingham County quarterback Matt Dillon (10) lines up behind the offensive line, with older brother Jordan Dillon (78) preparing for the snap during a Rebels football game. Jordan, a senior, helps protect his sophomore brother, Matt. (Photo courtesy of @visualzbykuntry.)
The team also can count on the Dillons to be teenage siblings, kidding each other at every opportunity.
“Everywhere,” said Jordan Dillon, 17. “As much as I can.”
Head coach John Ford said he’s had brothers play together on past squads. The Dillons bring their talent and humor to the team.
“It’s kind of a big brother, little brother dynamic. They talk trash to each other, and tell each other to shut up,” Ford said. “It’s been kind of funny to hear how they talk to each other, probably like they do in their living room or riding around in the truck.”
When it’s time to play the games, it’s no laughing matter for opponents. Jordan Dillon is a 6-foot-4, 330-pounder who can play all five positions on the offensive line, and tight end if you need him.
The three-star prospect is ranked the No. 41 interior offensive lineman in the country and No. 65 player in Georgia by 247Sports. In its composite rankings incorporating other recruiting services, Dillon is the No. 628 player in the nation, No. 43 interior o-lineman and No. 77 player at any position in the state.
Matt Dillon, 16, has completed 70% of his passes (103 of 147) for 1,367 yards and 16 touchdowns to just three interceptions in eight games. The 6-2, 185-pound pocket passer also has rushed for one touchdown.
Effingham County was 6-2 overall, 5-0 in Region 1-6A going into Friday’s region game at Brunswick with a chance to clinch the title.
“We have more chemistry as brothers. We play better,” said Matt, who said the last time they were teammates in an organized sport was on a 10-under team, the Southeast Bulldogs, when he was 8 years old and played safety and wide receiver.
“It’s a blessing,” he said of being on the team with his brother. “We’ve just been sticking together.”
Jordan, who, with his brother, transferred from Savannah Christian to Effingham County in February, also said he was blessed to be teammates one more time with Matt.
“My last year (of high school), it’s a blessing to play with my brother, protecting him,” Jordan said. “We used to play together in 10-U, so I haven’t gotten a chance to have that feeling until this year, so it’s a blessing.”
While Jordan has seniority as the older brother, Matt is the quarterback – a position that lends itself to being a team leader.
“Really, I’m the boss. I take care of him,” Matt said within earshot of Jordan. “It’s really just being together. We have that connection on the field and off the field.”
College plans
Jordan Dillon was a well-known talent when he chose Georgia Tech over 30 other college offers this summer following his first official visit to the Atlanta campus.
“The at-home feeling and the proximity to home,” he explained. “My mom didn’t want me going too far away. The coaches there love me. I’ve had a connection with them for so long. Since I was like in ninth grade, they’ve been recruiting me.”
Ford said Jordan has “the measurables” in height, strength, speed, and athleticism that college scouts look for.
“All those things stand out in terms of when you watch him, you know that’s what an SEC-ACC-Big Ten offensive lineman is supposed to look like,” Ford said. “When you get to know him, you get to know the intangible qualities that he has: his work ethic, drive, leadership, competitive spirit, desire to be great in every little thing that he does.
“Obviously, the measurables and the tangibles for him are elite. But the thing that sets him apart are the intangible qualities that he possesses. That’s what pushes him to another level, and that’s why he’s definitely going to make it at the next level.”
The coach said that Jordan is getting experience now playing multiple positions, which will help him later in college. Jordan agreed, saying that he believes center will probably be his college position, so he tries to get in 50 snaps with Matthew each day before practice.
“You want to be very versatile at the position,” Jordan said. “That’s how you get more opportunities to play early.”
Jordan is on pace to graduate from ECHS in December after completing one government in-person class and three online classes through Point University. He plans to enroll early at Georgia Tech and get a head start with the football team in the spring semester.
“It’s tough to get thrown in the fire like that, but I think I’ve prepared myself and I think I’m ready for it,” said Jordan, who describes himself as an A/B student.
“I miss no classes, always show up on time,” he said. “My mindset on on-time is early is on-time, on-time is late, and late is late late. That’s how I view it coming from a military family background. My dad was in the military (Army). That’s how he taught us. That’s how it’s been.”
Family business
The brothers’ parents, Jason and Tee Dillon, are the owners/operators of Papaya Thai Cuisine and Sushi Bar, which has three locations in Pooler, Richmond Hill and Rincon. Running a family restaurant (or three) doesn’t stop for football season, but the boys manage to fit in school, practice, homework, and games while helping the family in their free time – more in the off-season than in season. Jordan, for example, was promoted over the years from dishwasher to cook.
“They know how to operate the family business. They’ve not been raised without being instructed to work,” Ford said. “They’re great young men. Jason and Tee Dillon, their parents, did a great job raising them.”
Matt has shown that work ethic and a professional approach to playing quarterback, Ford said, noting that the sophomore watches film, takes notes, and asks good questions.
“The thing that I think has really helped him is that his demeanor is always steady,” Ford said. “He’s never too high; he’s never too low. Good plays don’t fill him with unbridled enthusiasm and bad plays don’t crush him.
“He’s kind of the same coming off the field every drive, whether it’s a touchdown, a three-and-out or anything in between. He just plays for the next play and takes each play as it comes. He’s very, very coachable. He works really, really hard at his craft.”
Matt summed it up: “I just stay normal.”
The Rebels opened the season with two close losses, by one point to Richmond Hill and three points to Tift County, before the six-game win streak.
“I think he’s done a really good job,” Jordan said. “As a sophomore, you would think he has a lot of mistakes. But no, he looks like a veteran QB out there as a sophomore.”
The siblings, who have two younger brothers, Jacob, 9, and Mac, 3, realize that their next chance to be teammates would be in college. Matt already had Georgia Tech’s attention after his performance at a one-day camp this summer, and he will be on more schools’ radars after they see him on film from this season.
Ford, praising Matt as a person as well as for his skill set, said the program is sending out film clips, and he’s excited for coaches to visit the sophomore this winter and spring. Jordan is also enthused for his brother.
“He’s going to get some noise in a little bit here,” Jordan said. “All these college coaches are going to view his film. He’s definitely going to get a lot of attention -- probably more than I’ve ever gotten. I’m excited for it.”
Photo credit: Courtesy of visualzbykuntry on Instagram
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Optim Orthopedics presents Prep Sports Report’s 2026 high school football coverage.
Optim Orthopedics team physicians include Dr. Don Aaron (Bryan County), Dr. David Sedory (Benedictine, Bradwell Institute, Liberty County), Dr. David Palmer (Calvary Day, Richmond Hill, South Effingham), and Dr. Thomas Alexander (Savannah Country Day, St. Vincent’s Academy).
