Jaire Alexander 1st Team AP All-American; Lamar Jackson 2nd Team

Mark BlankenbakerAugust 22, 2017

With the start of the season less than two weeks away, the preseason honors keep rolling in for a pair of University of Louisville football standouts.

Junior cornerback Jaire Alexander was tabbed a first team Associated Press preseason All-American, while junior quarterback Lamar Jackson was selected a second team honoree.

Alexander, the Charlotte, N.C., native, is widely considered one of the most versatile performers, excelling as one of the nation’s top cornerbacks and punt returners.

Earlier this summer, Alexander was named to preseason all-ACC team, as well as numerous watch lists.

A starter in all 13 games last season, Alexander, who recorded a career-best 39 tackles, earned second-team all-ACC honors after anchoring Louisville’s top 20 defense. He led the team with five interceptions, including two against Clemson and two more versus Virginia.

Jackson, who was named the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, has also collected three additional and highly notable preseason distinctions. He is on the preseason watch lists for the 81st Maxwell Award (college player of the year), the Davey O’Brien Award (top college quarterback), the Manning Award (top quarterback) and the Danny Wuerffel Trophy (college football’s premier award for community service).

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Jackson had an outstanding sophomore campaign in which he averaged 393.4 yards per game of total offense and accounted for 51 touchdowns, both ACC single-season records. His 1,571 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns were also ACC records for a quarterback.

Jackson became was the youngest player to win the Heisman Trophy. He was named the 2016 National College Football Player of the Year by the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp, the Sporting News, and CBS Sports.

The Cardinals will open the season versus Purdue on Sept. 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.