Louisville QB Lamar Jackson, the reigning Heisman winner, says he's new and improved

CHARLOTTE — Lamar Jackson jostled slightly in his seat, tugging at the sleeves of the black jacket he wore to the Atlantic Coast Conference media days. He wanted to not just talk about but also show the physical transformation he’s made this offseason — going from last season’s playing weight of 198 pounds to, now, 208.

“Suit feels a little tight,” Jackson saud, smiling. “But I feel good. I can still move.”

And that’s key, of course, for the dual-threat quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner who captivated the nation with his speed and affinity for scoring touchdowns. He’ll still be quick, he’ll still be shifty — but he’ll likely be a bit harder for defenders to bring down.

Oh, and he’s going to be under center significantly more this year, too.

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At first, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher. Why take a player who did things that hadn't been seen in college football since Michael Vick out of the shotgun? Why mess with a system that worked so well it earned Jackson college football’s greatest individual honor?

“We felt like there are some things in our offense that we weren't able to execute at times last year or the year before that,” Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said. “So, we wanted to get better in our overall scheme of offense. I also feel like we need to take some pressure off of him where he doesn't need to make a decision every single play out there, whether it's throwing the ball and making the right decision, or handing it off or keeping it or pitching it. There are some really good run schemes that you can do and some play action schemes you can do with the quarterback underneath the center.
“It's also to help him prepare for the next level.”

The 6-3 quarterback wants to show he’s more than just a running quarterback who dashed and dazzled his way to the highlight reel. He wants to prove he can be a pocket passer, too, with the right footwork, making the right reads.

“He took a lot of pride out on the practice field, understanding the coverages, what the safeties are doing and going through his progression,” Petrino said. “He also worked real hard on his footwork, making sure he gets set, gets his back leg under his hip, and when he does that and stands tall, he's a very, very accurate thrower.”

Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander can confirm that, seeing as it’s something he went up against all spring and will face each day in upcoming fall camp.

“Lamar is definitely more accurate (now),” Alexander said. “He puts a zip on the ball that I might not even want to pick off sometimes, you know.”

Jackson said snapping the ball has been simple; footwork has been more challenging. Even for a player with his caliber of speed, apparently.

“You’ve got to get back from under center fast,” Jackson said. “You have defenders coming at you, if you’re not back in time they can step on you. You can get sacked easily.

“Just to drop back, that’s the hardest thing right now.”

But it’s certainly not impossible. Jackson said he enjoyed being a pocket passer when he played in youth leagues, and he thinks the transition will only help him expand his repertoire in addition to opening up Louisville’s offensive playbook.

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And, perhaps, it will give Jackson a chance to become just the second Heisman Trophy winner to win the award twice. No one has done it since Archie Griffin did it, in 1974 and 1975, and of recent underclassmen with the chance to do it — such as Jameis Winston and Johnny Manziel — Jackson appears to be entering his season-after season with the littlest fanfare. If it’s possible to be a preseason Heisman Trophy dark horse and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner at the same time, then that’s Jackson.

“That doesn’t bother me,” Jackson said. “I don’t worry about it.”

No, Jackson said, he’s just focused on winning games and trying to take Louisville to heights it fell short of last season — like an ACC title game, for example. Or even just getting some sweet revenge by beating Clemson, something he’d love to do.

So though he may look a little different and though he may be taking snaps from under center, don’t expect the essence of Jackson to change. Or his effectiveness on the field.

“We do have a philosophy at the University of Louisville that we call FTS, which means Feed The Studs,” Petrino said. “Obviously, Lamar is one of our studs. So, don't think that we're not going to call quarterback run plays or zone read plays or option plays — because we're going to give him his opportunities to make big plays and his opportunities to handle things that he did so well last year.

“We're just trying to improve upon it and be a better overall offense.”