Photo Courtesy of Pat McDonogh/Courier Journal
Regardless of what happens Saturday night at the Heisman Ceremony in NYC, take joy UofL fans in the fact we all witnessed one of the greatest football players in history. Is this hyperbole on my part? Perhaps. Then again, it is hard to deny what mine eyes have seen. Lamar Jackson is a Heisman person off the field and a Heisman player on it.
Lamar off the field is so very humble. When people praise him, he deftly deflects it to his teammates. Though he earns all the accolades that are laid at his feet, Lamar goes out of his way to share the accolades and his teammates love him for it. Don’t believe me? Well, take a look at Jaylen Smith in the picture above lobbying for Lamar to win another Heisman.
Photo on left courtesy of Sam Upshaw Jr/Courier Journal. Photo on right courtesy of UofL Football’s Twitter (@UofLFootball)
Lamar leads the team in community service hours, meaning he’s out in the city making it a better place. Spending time with the youth of Louisville always seems like a pleasure and not a chore for Lamar. You don’t hear about him partying like a mad man or finding his way into the custody of an officer of the law. Instead, the images above are what we see of our QB and leader outside the confines of a gridiron.
On the field, we get an idea of what it would be like to watch Da Vinci as he painted the Mona Lisa. Lamar dazzles us with his Houdini-like ability to escape the grasps of would-be tacklers. We all marvel as he throws the ball all over the field like Zeus throws lightning bolts all over the sky; whether it be a deep ball that seems to be laser-guided or a rocket between two defenders on a slant.
In fact, Lamar is the first, and so far only, player in the history of college football to have back to back seasons of 3000 yards passing and 1000 yards rushing. To give you an idea of how amazing this feat truly is, it’s important to note college football has been around since the late 19th century! Lamar is like some Greek or Roman demigod and the football field is his realm to rule over.
Cardinaldom has been very fortunate to have a young man like Lamar Jackson attend our university, embrace our community, and play football better than anyone ever has in a Cardinal uniform. Lamar is all class, high character, and a hashtag Football God.
Regardless if he wins a second Heisman or not, we UofL fans know we witnessed a legendary player and person as he built his phenomenal legacy. It really doesn’t matter what anyone else says. And no matter what happens in the NFL, we must always remember what we all bore witness to on the fields of college football courtesy of Lamar Jackson.
Henceforth, he shall forever be known to Cards fans as Lamar Jackson, Lord of the Gridiron, King of College QBs, Protector of the Realm of Cardinal, Defender of the Ville.
