2024-09-06 07:10:02
2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson won the highest individual honors in college football and the NFL in the span of four seasons, after having won the Heisman Trophy in 2016. Jackson was one of the most electrifying players in recent memory, if not in the history of the sport.
Here’s more on Lamar Jackson’s college career.
The vitals on Lamar Jackson
School: Louisville
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-3
Weight: 211 pounds
Years active: 2015-17
Here are Lamar Jackson’s career stats at Louisville. Scroll to the right to view the complete stats.
| Year | games | completions | attempts | Comp. % | Yards | Y/A | TD | INT | rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 12 | 135 | 247 | 54.7 | 1,840 | 7.4 | 12 | 8 | 126.8 |
| 2016 | 13 | 230 | 409 | 56.2 | 3,543 | 8.7 | 30 | 9 | 148.8 |
| 2017 | 13 | 254 | 430 | 59.1 | 3,660 | 8.5 | 27 | 10 | 146.6 |
| Career | 38 | 619 | 1,086 | 57.0 | 9,043 | 8.3 | 69 | 27 | 142.9 |
Where did Lamar Jackson go to college?
Lamar Jackson attended Louisville, which he chose over scholarship offers from Florida, Mississippi State and Nebraska.
What kind of prospect was Lamar Jackson in high school?
Jackson was ranked the No. 409 prospect in the 2015 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, including the No. 12 dual-threat quarterback and No. 60 prospect in Florida.
What was Lamar Jackson’s record in college?
Lamar Jackson’s Cardinals went 24-14, including a 9-3 regular season in 2016, followed by an 8-4 campaign in 2017. Louisville made a bowl game in each of Jackson’s three seasons playing for the Cardinals.
CFP: History of teams, records of the College Football Playoff
Records set by Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson’s name appears in the FBS record book 19 times, frequently in statistical categories that involve his explosive dual-threat ability as a passer and runner.
Here are the FBS records and rankings held by Jackson.
- Most consecutive games throwing for 300 yards and rushing for 100 yards: Two games — Purdue, Sept. 2, 2017; North Carolina, Sept. 9, 2017
- Responsible for one of 12 performances in FBS history with 400 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game: 407 passing yards, 162 rushing yards vs. Syracuse, Sept. 9, 2016
- Responsible for one of 17 performances in FBS history with 200 yards and rush for 200 yards in the same game: 227 passing yards, 226 rushing yards vs. Texas A&M, Dec. 30, 2015
- Responsible for two of the 35 seasons in FBS history with 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards: 3,660 passing yards, 1,601 rushing yards in 2017; 3,543 passing yards, 1,571 rushing yards in 2016
- One of 17 players in FBS history to pass for 40 touchdowns and rush for 40 touchdowns in a career: 69 passing touchdowns, 50 rushing touchdowns
- One of 23 players in FBS history responsible for passing for 200 points and rushing for 200 points in a career: 414 points from passing, 300 points from rushing
- One of 47 players in FBS history with 4,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in a career: 9,043 passing yards and 4,132 rushing yards
- 2017 FBS leader in total offense: 5,261 yards
- Sixth, seventh in FBS history in rushing yards in a season by a quarterback: 1,601 rushing yards in 2017, 1,571 rushing yards in 2016
- Sixth in FBS history in career rushing yards by a quarterback: 4,132 rushing yards
- Seventh in FBS history in career yards per game: 346.7 yards/game
- 10th, 21st in FBS history in total yards in a season: 5,261 yards in 2017, 5,114 yards in 2016
- T-11th, 22nd in FBS history in season yards per game: 404.7 yards/game in 2017, 393.4 yards/game in 2016
- T-17th in FBS history in total yards in a game: 610 yards — 411 passing yards, 199 rushing yards vs. Syracuse, Sept. 9, 2016
- 20th in FBS history in total career yards: 13,175 yards
CHAMPS: Complete national championship history for the FBS
What were some of Lamar Jackson’s best games in college?
In Jackson’s first college game, he completed 9-of-20 passes for 100 yards and an interception. He ran for more yards than he threw for, with 106 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts. He had five games with at least 100 rushing yards in 12 games as a freshman, capped off by a 227-passing yards, 226-rushing yard, four-total touchdown performance against Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl. His first big passing game came on the road against Florida State, where he threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns in a loss.
Jackson built on his Music City Bowl success with a Heisman Trophy-winning campaign in 2016, which started with eight total touchdowns against Charlotte in Louisville’s season-opener. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 286 yards and six touchdowns, with 119 rushing yards and two more touchdowns on the ground.
He ran for four touchdowns in each of his next two games against Syracuse and Florida State, including a season-high 199 rushing yards against Syracuse, while he also threw for 411 yards against the Orange.
Jackson had 417 passing yards and five touchdowns, along with 62 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns against Marshall. In a road trip to Clemson, he completed 27-of-44 attempts for 295 yards, one touchdown and one interception, plus 162 rushing yards on 31 attempts and two rushing touchdowns.
After throwing for 361 yards and four touchdowns in a road win against Virginia, Jackson faced Boston College on the road, where he completed 12-of-17 attempts for 231 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, plus 185 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
In his junior season, Jackson opened the season with three consecutive 300-plus-yard performances against Purdue (378 yards, two touchdowns), North Carolina (393 yards, three touchdowns) and Clemson (317 yards, three touchdowns, one interception). He also had 132 rushing yards and three scores on the ground against the Tar Heels.
He finished the 2017 season on a streak of seven games with at least 100 rushing yards, including five with at least 150 yards. He rushed for 180 yards and three scores against Boston College, 178 yards and a touchdown against Florida State, 161 yards and three touchdowns against Wake Forest, 147 yards and a score against Virginia, 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Syracuse, 156 yards against rival Kentucky and 158 yards and a score against Mississippi State.
What awards and honors did Lamar Jackson win in college?
- 2018 ACC Athlete of the Year
- 2017 ACC Player of the Year
- 2017 ACC Offensive Player of the Year
- 2016 Heisman Trophy winner
- 2016 Associated Press Player of the Year
- 2016 Walter Camp Award winner
- 2016 Maxwell Award winner
- 2016 Sporting News Player of the Year
- 2016 unanimous All-American
- 2016 ACC Player of the Year
- 2016 ACC Offensive Player of the Year
What did people say about Lamar Jackson?
The Courier-Journal (Sept. 2015): “Louisville freshman wideout Jaylen Smith calls his roommate, ‘the most exciting quarterback in college football right now.’ He says Jackson can throw the ball 85 yards ‘easy’ and with velocity that requires constant readiness from his receivers. Yet it is speed and acceleration that make Lamar Jackson special. Already an urban legend for beating NBA star Rajon Rondo in an informal sprint, Jackson enhanced his reputation for making tracks with both planned and improvised runs against Auburn.”
Former Louisville coach Bobby Petrino (Sept. 2015): “We always have a sideline test in recruiting. A running back, receiver or quarterback (is) running the ball and they get to the sideline and they get cornered by two or three guys. Does he get hit, knocked down, or is he a guy that slips past them and stays up? There a lot of times you look at how hard does the guy get hit, how big (of) hits do they take? Lamar ran the ball a number of times (16) and didn’t really get hit that hard any time he ran it.”
Tim Sullivan of The Courier-Journal (Sept. 2015): “When Lamar Jackson scored his second touchdown Saturday night, it was from a distance of 13 yards and with a cutback burst designed to break hearts, wills and ankles. Louisville’s freshman quarterback has a gear Samford doesn’t often see and the maneuverability to match. He ran for 184 yards and two touchdowns in U of L’s 45-3 stampede Saturday night, sharing time and yet separating himself, bringing clarity to Bobby Petrino’s muddled quarterback question and relief to Cardinal fans who were beginning to wonder what it felt like to win.”
Tallahassee Democrat (Oct. 2015): “The true freshman is arguably the fastest quarterback in the country, with a 73-yard run to his credit already this season. His longest pass of the season is 36 yards.”
ESPN’s Lee Corso (Sept. 2016): “That Lamar Jackson is unbelievable. He’s the closest thing I’ve seen to Michael Vick. He’s probably better than Michael Vick. He’s the key to the game.”
The Courier-Journal (Sept. 2016): “Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson’s breakout onto the national college football scene will reach another level of fame and visibility this week – that of Sports Illustrated cover boy. Jackson, the early Heisman Trophy favorite who led U of L to a 63-20 blowout of Florida State, will be on the cover of the venerable sports magazine with an accompanying store from college football writer Andy Staples. He’s the first U of L football player ever to be on the SI cover.”
Jeff Greer of The Courier-Journal (Oct. 2016): “For so much of the second half in Saturday’s thrilling Clemson-Louisville showdown, Lamar Jackson looked like he was having his ‘Heisman Moment,’ the stretch of electrifying, sensational play that defines a player’s standout season in his team’s standout victory. Jackson, U of L’s shifty quarterback who accounted for 457 yards of offense and three touchdowns, was everywhere in the Cards’ frenetic comeback in Death Valley. His 300-plus second-half yards helped engineer Louisville’s rally from a 28-10 deficit, with his 11-yard touchdown giving U of L (4-1) an eight-point lead with 7:52 to play.”
Ralph Russo of the Associated Press (Oct. 2016): “After one month there is only one question when it comes to the Heisman Trophy: Can anybody catch Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson in the race to college football’s most prestigious player of the year award? With enough games in the books and a clear picture of the field emerging, the AP begins its Heisman Watch with Jackson holding a commanding lead.”
Kentucky’s Jordan Jones (Nov. 2016): “We weren’t playing Louisville today. We were playing Lamar Jackson. You shut him down, you shut down the team.”
Steve Jones of The Courier-Journal (Dec. 2016): “Lamar Jackson, welcome officially to legendary status. The University of Louisville sophomore quarterback won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night as the nation’s most outstanding college football player and earned permanent inclusion into the pantheon of the sport. Wearing a red blazer and black bow tie to match his school colors, Jackson accepted the iconic bronze statue during a ceremony at the Playstation Theater in Times Square, becoming U of L’s first Heisman winner.”
