Jawon Pass, a product of Carver High School in Columbus, Georgia, joined the Cardinals as a member of the Class of 2016. The 6-foot-4 dual threat quarterback had the difficult task of following in the footsteps of Lamar Jackson, despite his recruiting ranking being higher than Lamar’s. Pass came to Louisville as a four-star recruit with an overall composite score of 0.9209.
On paper, it seems like he should have been able to exceed the production of Lamar Jackson, given Jackson’s status as a three-star prospect. But, he could never seem to click with the Louisville offense. In his first two seasons, he only appeared in a combined total of six games and recorded two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
His third season, in 2018, was by far his best season in which he appeared in 11 games and was responsible for ten touchdowns–eight passing, two rushing. But, Pass would ultimately lose the quarterback battle to Malik Cunningham and would only appear in four games in his final two seasons with the Cardinals.
Through it all, Jawon Pass remained faithful to the University of Louisville. He graduated in five years and ended up transferring to Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, which is a Historically Black College and University (HBCU).
After one year with the Panthers, he was selected by Head Coach Hines Ward of the San Antonio Brahmas in the XFL.
Teddy Bridgewater, the prize of the 2011 recruiting class by then-Head Coach Charlie Strong, was a dual threat quarterback prospect out of Northwestern High School in Miami, Florida. Bridgewater was a four-star recruit with an overall composite score of 0.9515.
He chose the Cardinals over Florida, LSU, and Miami, and in doing so, has become one of the biggest fan favorites in Louisville football history. Teddy “Two Gloves”, as they call him, finished his Louisville career with 9,817 passing yards, 72 passing touchdowns, 170 rushing yards, and six rushing touchdowns.
Bridgewater would go on to become a first-round NFL draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings. He would become their starting quarterback and played at a high level until he dislocated his knee and tore his ACL. Ever since then, he has been a journeyman in the league and is currently a member of the Miami Dolphins.