Who makes up Louisville football’s Mt. Rushmore of the last decade?
By Jacob Lane
Jaire Alexander – Cornerback (2015-2017)
The flashy cornerback out of Charlotte, NC was all set to be a South Carolina Gamecock until a late decommitment and strong interest from Bobby Petrino and the Cards landed him at Louisville.
Besides being one of the rookie defensive breakout performers of the 2019 NFL season and the star of the hilarious “Prancing GIF” that went viral, Jaire Alexander showed all kinds of next-level potential in his three collegiate years as a Cardinal.
As a feisty freshman, he totaled 19 tackles and an interception, but already offenses were beginning to scheme plays away from him. This would become a trend in his days at U of L, allowing his teammates to prepare a little easier, as over time we all began to assume that simply no opposing quarterback wanted to throw into areas that he was lurking.
In fact, many times offensive coordinators would opt for deeper routes to occupy him in a one-on-one setting to free up the sideline for a cross route, a fade, or a comeback. It was the little things that Alexander had a knack for that enabled the Louisville secondary to seem a little confusing.
In his sophomore year, Louisville had all the ingredients for a College Football Playoff run. One has to include the exceptional season of Lamar Jackson into the equation. The Cards were a balanced attack, both offensively and defensively. Jaire did his part, chipping in 31 tackles (one for a loss) and 5 interceptions, 9 pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
He completed the 2016 season as a member of the Second-team All-ACC. His junior year was plagued with injury and he ultimately decided to sit out the 2017 Tax Slayer Bowl and forgo his senior year to enter the NFL Draft, where he was selected 18th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
Alexander was hurt for a good chunk of his junior season, and that ultimately put a huge dent in his stats and overall legacy as a Cardinal – but let’s not forget that for almost three years a full side of the field was on lockdown for opposing offenses.
His stats might not match other players when compared, but there’s no mistaken that Alexander earned his spot as one of the top four players for Louisville football of the last decade.