ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer watched Louisville’s Lamar Jackson make the statement of the 2016 season in a 63-20 win against Florida State on Sept. 17.
Palmer also made the comparison after watching Jackson put up 216 passing yards, 146 rushing yards and five total TDs in that victory. Palmer couldn’t believe Jackson did all that to the Seminoles’ defense.
“He reminds me of Cam Newton and Michael Vick in the sense that he's by far the best athlete on the field,” Palmer told Sporting News. “I’m not saying he’s better than those guys, but his athleticism is noticeably different. He’s just such an issue for the defense.”
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Jackson has taken the early lead in the Heisman Trophy race with 913 passing yards, 464 rushing yards and 18 total TDs through three games. Vick even tweeted that Jackson was, “5x better than what I was at V-Tech.”
Louisville visits Marshall this week before a potential huge showdown against Clemson that will have ACC, College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy implications. That would put Clemson’s Deshaun Watson on the same field with Jackson.
“He's the ultimate weapon,” Palmer said. “I can't wait for next week when they play Clemson and what a unique challenge that will be.”
Palmer is in his second year with the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which will honor athletes for their off-the-field accomplishments. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, those athletes will be honored this season.
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“Instead of just 22 athletes they’ve added three new spots,” Palmer said. “Being a student-athlete can be unbelievably strenuous at times. They’ve done such an amazing job donating their spare time to others.”
