Steve Jones

@stevejones_cj

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 story from college football writer Andy Staples. He's the first U of L football player ever to be on the SI cover.

The cover features a photo of a wide-eyed Jackson running with the ball away from an FSU defender with the headline: "WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED?" and beneath that, "Lamar Jackson arrived, THAT'S WHAT." It includes a graphic that says, "3 games, 18 touchdowns, 1 Booming Heisman Statement."

Before the announcement that Jackson would be appearing on SI, U of L athletic director Tom Jurich told The Courier-Journal that Jackson's early-season success has been a "fantastic" development for the athletic department.

"He's such a wonderful, wonderful young man," Jurich said. "We had an opportunity to be around one of the greatest kids I've ever been around with Teddy Bridgewater. You think you may only get to see one of those once in your career, but the guy right behind him (in U of L's line of QBs) is kind of in the same mold. I couldn't be happier for him. ... He's got a wonderful personality. He's a great, great young man."

Here is the link to Staples' cover story.

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