Talented Jackson joins crowded QB race
Nothing about the returning group of University of Louisville quarterbacks implied there was room for more.
Three of them -- Will Gardner, Reggie Bonnafon and Kyle Bolin -- each started at least once last season, and they'll all be back for the 2015 season. A fourth, Tyler Ferguson, transferred from Penn State, sat out last season and appears to be a potential frontrunner to start for U of L in 2015.
Beyond that, Louisville has already secured a verbal commitment from 2016 quarterback Keaton Torre, and Jawon Pass, a 2016 QB who is rated among the best at his position, is a recruiting priority.
So how did U of L land heralded high school quarterback prospect Lamar Jackson?
"The bottom line is, I take pride in training high school kids to become NFL quarterbacks," U of L offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said. "It's not just about putting a kid on the field, turning him loose, letting him run around the field and make plays. We get them in the meeting room and we sit them down and we start talking about football and how to see the game and understand situations. To be a pro, you're going to have to learn."
Related:Jackson sticks with U of L
Some consider Jackson, a 6-foot-3 dual-threat quarterback from Palm Beach County, Fla., to be Louisville's top signee in the 2015 class. He is at least among the highest-rated.
On Wednesday, Jackson stuck with the verbal pledge he gave Louisville at the end of August, despite a strong, frenetic recruiting push from Florida as signing day neared. Other schools, namely Mississippi State and Nebraska, also tried to pry Jackson from U of L's incoming class.
But Jackson's bond with U of L receivers coach Lamar Thomas, who was primarily responsible for Jackson's recruitment with Louisville, was too strong to break. He took off a sweatshirt at his signing day ceremony to reveal a U of L polo shirt.
Related:U of L signing day updates
Now the consensus three-star quarterback -- some recruiting sites rate him with four stars -- joins that group of talented signal callers at U of L. All four of the returning players have a shot at starting, and Jackson is talented enough to at least push them.
McGee said they will all compete for time.
"They know I enjoy a competitive meeting room," McGee said. "I want a bunch of guys in the room that want to play.
"The one thing it does is it forces everyone to show up with their A game every day, which makes our team better. In the meeting room, they all have to be on their game. They have to study. They have to get rested so they show up in the meeting room and concentrate because it's a very competitive environment."
Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).