Lamar Jackson to be honored with a statue outside Louisville’s football stadium

Since entering the NFL in 2018, Lamar Jackson has already accomplished quite a bit as the Ravens’ starting quarterback. From becoming a unanimous league MVP in 2019 to breaking the single-season rushing record, Jackson’s resume at the pro level is impressive.

However, while he’s still in the early stages of his professional career, Jackson’s legacy at the collegiate level is cemented. That same legacy was further cemented this week, when news broke that Jackson will be honored by Louisville — his alma mater — with a statue outside of the school’s football stadium.

Louisville’s Athletic Director, Vince Tyra, made the announcement during a radio interview Monday morning.

Jackson reacted to the news and expressed his emotions on Twitter, also —

Very few players, be it at the college or NFL level, have statues built of themselves. It’s a high honor reserved only for those who left a long-lasting, accomplished legacy on their respective school or organization. For Jackson, he did just this at Louisville.

Jackson’s three-year stint at Louisville saw him became one of the best athletes football program and one of the most electrifying college football players ever — from any school.

In 38 total games between 2015-2017, Jackson threw for over 9,000 yards and 69 passing touchdowns with a rating of 142.9. Simultaneously, he rushed for over 4,000 yards and scored 50 additional touchdowns on the ground. These video game-like numbers are in a league of their own and saw Jackson earn rightful hardware and recognition.

Jackson’s crown individual achievement came in 2016, when he won the Heisman Trophy. That same year, he also won the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award — and was named Player of the Year by both Sports Illustrated and Sporting News. His other accolades include being a two-time ACC Player of the Year and two-time Offensive Player of the Year (2016 and 2017). In 2018, Jackson was named ACC Athlete of the Year, also.

Jackson helped increase the notoriety of Louisville as a football school. In 2017, Jackson led the Cardinals to a win over Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl, where Jackson was awarded with MVP of the game. During Jackson’s tenure, Louisville appeared in three straight bowl games, won a total of 25 games, and went toe-to-toe with some of the bigger college programs in the country.

If anyone is deserving of having a statue built outside of Cardinal Stadium, there’s no doubt it’s Lamar Jackson. For the Ravens’ sake, here’s hoping this will be the first of two statues he has built — the next one being outside of M&T Bank Stadium.