He not only had to sell Jackson and his mom on the Cards. He was the Cardinals' primary recruiter for quarterback and Heisman Trophy front-runner Lamar Jackson. The University of Florida was the school that worried Thomas the most. With Mayfield listed as an overwhelming favorite, look at the resumes for the three stars. Burrow and Jackson were in the 2015 recruiting class and each quarterback was grossly undervalued in hindsight. He said Kyle Bolin was another good quarterback who had won a big game against Kentucky and may end up Jackson's biggest competition. Not this kid.". MobileSwop Unlimited Premium launch special! "Tommy Tuberville said it the best when he was a GA back in the day at Miami," Blustein said. "I got a gift from the football gods when he came in," Swain said. I’m very proud of the young man. CLASS OF 2015. "But I’m telling you," Thomas told Jackson, "that you’re such a great athlete, you’ve got great touch, you can throw the ball far, I think you’ll have an opportunity to compete.’”. And he's right. "The players remember," said Steven Gorten, who covered the game for the South Florida Sun Sentinel that night. The rest is history and it's also a tremendous example of how college football recruiting is most certainly not an exact science. The Chargers were a strong defensive team, and the Tigers, which had won 63-58 the previous week, couldn't find the same offensive magic. "It's really the thing (Jackson) has been unfairly looked at as his passing ability not being strong enough," Gorten said. That 100 miles would include Palm Beach, where all these studs have come throughout the years.". Many have even said they believe the term dual-threat quarterback is a racially motivated label for black quarterbacks who are thought to not have the right characteristics to be able to run a challenging college football offense. Learn about Lamar Jackson and other recruit player profiles on RecruitingNation.com. Jackson was one of the first recruits McElwain reached out to upon taking the job at UF in December 2014. Stay connected to the Capitals and Wizards with the MyTeams app. During a phone interview, Thomas offered a lengthy recap of Jackson's recruitment, including the difficult task of holding off Florida, Mississippi State, Miami and others to sign the former four-star prospect from Boynton Beach (Fla.) High School. Chiefs’ Clyde Edwards-Helaire runs all over the Bills, USC OC Graham Harrell piles more praise upon WR Bru McCoy, Classic Spy Photos Of The Week: Aborted Acura NSX With V10 Engine. Jackson's first highlight tape of his junior season was front-loaded with clips of how creative, fast and gifted he was as a running quarterback. Jackson proceeded to rush for 186 yards and touchdowns and throw for another TD and won game MVP honors as U of L rallied to win 38-24. And she went ‘blond’, Firefighters make political endorsements with the greater good in mind | Opinion, Troy Aikman and Joe Buck perfectly slam flyovers amid COVID-19 pandemic on hot mic, Steph Curry Defends Wife Ayesha Amid Criticism Over Her Look: 'You Beautiful Baby'. Jackson rallied the Tigers to take a 22-21 lead early in the fourth quarter with two quick scores, but Huntley and the Chargers pulled it together to take a 13-point lead with just under four minutes to play. ", Former Hallandale coach Dameon Jones told Thomas: "Man, that’s the best player I’ve ever seen.". Thomas, a Gainesville native whose parents still live there, would tell Thomas how the local media always appeared to tout then-redshirt freshman Will Grier, a former top recruit, as the Gators’ new starter for 2015. Thomas was well-positioned to make an early impression on Jackson because he'd spent three years on the Boynton Beach staff under head coach Rick Swain, and he played under Swain as a high school player in Gainesville. Thomas, who was a Louisville assistant in 2014 and is now at Kentucky, was coached in high school by the same guy who coached Jackson. ", Welcome fam you owe me from that game I didn't forget https://t.co/S9WpN6zwId. "Then that guy got up there and stroked it. Chris Hays is the Sentinel's recruiting coverage coordinator and can be reached at chays@orlandosentinel.com. Jackson's Tigers lost to Miami Central the following week 49-6 in the first round of the Florida state playoffs. Lamar Thomas spent only two seasons as the Louisville wide receivers coach, but his impact is lasting in one huge way: He was the Cardinals' primary recruiter for quarterback and Heisman Trophy front-runner Lamar Jackson. Huntley, according to Gorten's game story that night, finished 16-of-26 passing for 304 yards with three touchdowns. Lamar Jackson explains that Louisville wasn't able to reach its preseason expectations because of injuries early in the year. To his credit, Jackson doesn't see it that way. “When I went out recruiting, I always stayed away from quarterbacks because I knew that Coach Petrino and (offensive coordinator) Garrick (McGee) really knew quarterbacks and really knew what quarterbacks they wanted to bring in,” Thomas said. “Obviously when he went on his visit, that’s what they were selling,” Thomas said, “that ‘You can’t compete for the starting job, but you’ll win it when (Prescott) leaves.’ He didn’t want to hear that, and I knew that.”. Instead of a squib kick down the field, he got another onside kick. I know that's something that some colleges were concerned about with him. Now, they were on the brink of losing control. Get all the sports news you need, direct to your inbox. So you can't fault Jackson if he is running around acting like a little kid at Christmas. It's about time someone noticed. This is all new to him and he's loving the moment. FORUMS. He was already committed to Louisville at the time, but he had a few more tricks in his bag and if someone else noticed, he figured he might just see what else was out there. https://sports.yahoo.com/just-frenetic-look-lamar-jackson-180736517.html That's where Jackson would love to end up, but for now he has plenty left to accomplish at Louisville. The first one was, "Wow, this kid is even better than his film. Todd McShay breaks down why Lamar Jackson could be a good fit for the New Orleans Saints. He had to sell head coach Bobby Petrino on a dual-threat quarterback in a 2015 class when Petrino initially had no plans to sign one. Before Jackson took an in-game snap Swain had players routinely tell him they had a phenom on his hands. Obviously we have to play the young man, but I still want to see him and the team do well. He wasn't getting free shoes and fancy gear and staying in luxury hotels like all those so-called All-Americans. People come to see the stars, the stars showed up, but ultimately it came down to the non-descript kicker.". Whether it was a big arm, off-the-charts athleticism or performing in the rain, this year's top quarterback prospects turned heads during their pro days. Both were three-star recruits, according to 247sports, but both endured questions about their futures long before and after their matchup in 2014. Jackson did get back in and led U of L to 24 second-half points in a close loss. But thanks to Lamar Thomas, Jackson got the attention of Petrino. After the embarrassing 63-20 rout of FSU on Saturday, everyone wants to be on the Lamar Jackson bandwagon. High School Boynton Beach Community ; ... View recruiting profile. 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Stephen A. Smith disagrees with Bill Polian's assessment that QB Lamar Jackson should transition to the wide receiver position. Nobody thought he would make it.". Let’s go.’ What kid says that? He proved plenty Saturday. Jackson's throw to star wideout Donte Sylencieux in the right corner of the end zone seemed to be the jaw-dropping play to end an instant classic. Thomas, who was a Louisville assistant in 2014 and is now at Kentucky, was coached in high school by the same guy who coached Jackson. That led Jackson, one of the state's top players, into a showdown with unbeaten Hallandale, which was a bit of a surprise team that year. Add Video. Todd McShay says Lamar Jackson has to work on his footwork but has the talent to be a special NFL player. Huntley, who signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Ravens, was welcomed to Baltimore by the league's reigning MVP with a friendly reminder of who still has bragging rights. "It's one of those games where even if you're not a Hallandale or Boynton fan, you might come out to watch just to see those guys because you knew they were going to be big-time players in college," Gorten said. Swain, then the head coach of Boynton Beach High School in South Florida, took his 9-0 Tigers about 40 miles south to Hallandale High School to face the unbeaten Chargers. ", RELATED: Lamar Thomas familiar with both sides of Governor's Cup rivalry. The second-year Louisville quarterback is having a blast, as well he should. ‘Listen, when you go on your visit and you talk to them,” Thomas recalled saying to Jackson about the Gators, “if they don’t mention a certain guy who in the paper there in Gainesville - all they talk about is this Will Grier guy - is going to be the incumbent starter.’ And they never told him about Will Grier, so what I was saying to him, ‘If they’re not going to tell you about this guy, they can’t be trusted.’ And they never told him about Will Grier.”. He said Reggie Bonnafon was a talented player but had only been playing quarterback for a few years, referring to his days playing wide receiver for Trinity High School, whereas Jackson had been a starting QB all his life. He had always favored the pro-style offense with drop-back passers and pocket protection. These games are talked about by people in their communities long after they leave.". Devin Bush's knee injury clouds Steelers' unbeaten start, Kamala Harris' connection to Caribbean voters could make difference in Florida, Ayesha Curry quietly closed her South Florida restaurant. 9 posts Lamar Jackson and his connection to Muskegon High School Lamar Jackson and his connection to Muskegon High School. It wasn't. Jackson, who played at Boynton for two seasons, immediately transformed the team's offense when he arrived midway through his sophomore year. Michigan High School Football Forum, Message Board, Rankings, Scores, Chat, Recruiting, Predictions, etc. "‘Hey, I remember when Tyler Huntley went up against Lamar in high school.'". "It was at that point a done deal. Even five and a half years later, Rick Swain is still trying to forget Halloween night in 2014. "And Coach Petrino said yes," Thomas said. Swain encouraged him to give Jackson a look, and Thomas was impressed. Rick Swain, head coach at Boynton Beach High at the time, called in a favor to Thomas, whom he had coached at Gainesville Bucholz.

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