Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson is the leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman Trophy. The sophomore has come a long way in a short time from being a three-star prospect out of Boynton Beach High School to a potential first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Jackson made a verbal commitment to Louisville before the start of his senior year at Boynton Beach. He was influenced by the success that Teddy Bridgewater, who played high school 60 miles south of Boynton at Miami Northwestern, had with the program and wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Jackson and the staff at Boynton Beach also had a great relationship with then-Cardinals assistant coach Lamar Thomas (now the wide receivers coach at Kentucky). Thomas played for Boynton head coach Rick Swain when he was coaching at Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Florida in the late 1980s.

Thomas’ relationship with Jackson and Swain would serve him well as Jackson embarked on a special senior year where he gained over 3,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 41 total touchdowns. Those are the type of numbers that get the attention of several other programs, especially in the SEC. None of the conference teams were able to sign Jackson but two received official visits.

REPLACEMENT FOR DAK?

Mississippi State was probably on the outside looking in when it came to Jackson’s recruitment, but the thought of being Dak Prescott’s understudy in 2015 and taking over the reins of the offense as a redshirt freshman in 2016 intrigued Jackson enough to make an official visit to Starkville.

Unfortunately, the visit didn’t do much to sway Jackson, who would officially eliminate the Bulldogs shortly after his return back to Florida.

The only quarterback the Bulldogs signed in the 2015 class was Nick Tiano, who is a redshirt freshman sitting behind Damian Williams and Nick Fitzgerald this season.

IN COME THE GATORS

Florida jumped on Jackson early in his senior year when then-offense coordinator Kurt Roper saw the comparisons to a quarterback he coached at Duke five years before named Thaddeus Lewis. Jackson and Lewis were similar prospects out of high school, and Jackson was the perfect fit for the up-tempo, zone read/spread option offense Roper wanted to run.

The Gators had experienced junior Jeff Driskel, who was floundering as the starting quarterback, and redshirt freshman Treon Harris, who would relieve Driskel in the second half of the season. Harris was adept at the running aspect of Roper’s offense, but his deficiencies in the passing game were slowly being exposed. In Jackson, Roper saw a more athletic, bigger version of Harris and better upside as a passer.

CHANGES IN GAINESVILLE

If Jackson wanted to go to Florida, he wouldn’t be playing for head coach Will Muschamp or Roper as both would be dismissed at the end of the 2014 season.

Florida hired former Alabama assistant and Colorado State head coach Jim McElwain to right the ship. McElwain did his part to overhaul the Gators’ recruiting class, and he also took a look at Jackson. While Jackson wasn’t necessarily a scheme fit for McElwain’s pro-style offense, the talent could not be denied and Florida needed more talented players.

Jackson took an official visit to Florida on Jan. 30, 2015, and by all accounts a flip to Florida would be coming on signing day. McElwain saw enough in Jackson to believe he could really develop him as a pure passer, and with Harris and redshirt freshman Will Grier already on the roster, there was no rush to get Jackson on the field.

DECISION IS MADE

With reports that Jackson was “50-50” between Florida and Louisville as signing day approached, there was lots of tense moments on both sides. Florida opted not to go after another QB recruit in the 2015 class despite the soon-to-be-announced transfer of Driskel. Meanwhile, Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino looked at Jackson as a player he could get on the field as a true freshman.

On National Signing Day, Jackson arrived at his school with a Gators backpack on, but when it came time to make a decision, he stayed loyal to his original choice and signed with Louisville.

Jackson told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that in choosing Louisville, he went with his gut.

And the rest is history.