LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When Jaire Alexander signed with the Baltimore Ravens this week, the story practically wrote itself, at least in these parts — two Louisville legends, back together. Lamar and Jaire. You know they're good when no last names are needed.
It's a fun NFL reunion but also a reminder.
Back in 2016, Jackson was the superstar. The Heisman winner. The human highlight reel. But there was another player on that Louisville team who made just as much noise — and who, two years later, would be taken higher in the NFL Draft.
Alexander went No. 18 overall to Green Bay.
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Bozich & Crawford
Jackson went No. 32 to Baltimore. Last pick of the first round. Nearly slid into the second.
Alexander, a smooth-talking corner with closing speed and swagger, had emerged as one of the best defenders in college football, even during an injury-plagued junior season in Louisville. Louisville hadn't built on Jackson's Heisman season — it finished 8-5. But that was as much due to Alexander's injuries as any shortcomings from Jackson.
Alexander made quarterbacks think twice. He made special teams pay. But he played opposite a comet in Jackson, and in college football, quarterbacks eclipse everything. Even lockdown corners.
But on draft night in 2018, Alexander was talking with ESPN when Lamar's name was finally called. He didn't just celebrate. He exclaimed "Lamar!" Shouted. Danced. Yelled into the camera:
"Let's go, man! I told you, man!"
And now here they are, reunited. Older. Banged up. Brilliant. Back in the same locker room, chasing the same thing — a Super Bowl.
Louisville football has had more on-field success than the years they spent together here. But they've never been more nationally relevant than with Jackson running wild and Alexander dancing on defense.
I've written thousands of words about Jackson in Louisville. What do I remember about Alexander? I went to the football complex to interview him in the summer after the 2016 season. He showed up and he'd been watching film. I asked him what corners he liked to watch. He didn't watch a ton of corners, he said.
He watched the wideouts. Julio Jones. Antonio Brown. Odell Beckham Jr. He already knew. Those were the guys he needed to get ready for.
The great ones think like pros long before they really are pros.
And maybe, with Jackson in Baltimore, this pair of Louisville greats can win the championship that eluded them in college.
Quick sips
- After Louisville fell in the College World Series, Rick Bozich asked the pertinent question — can the Cardinals keep it up in the new college sports landscape? Read his column here.
- Along those same lines, Louisville approved its 2025-26 budget Wednesday. I have the details in this story.
The Last Drop
"It made Lamar happy. I think it made everyone happy."
Baltimore coach John Harbaugh, on the Ravens signing Jaire Alexander
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