Louisville's Alexander is a rising star

Sophomore cornerback Jaire Alexander is off to an incredible start in just his second season on campus.

The Cardinals' primary punt returner, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino called Alexander a "special talent" on special teams. And he has lived up to the billing, returning 13 punts for 175 yards and a touchdown through the first seven games.

Alexander has 23 tackles so far this season with a tackle for a loss, four passes broken up, two quarterback hurries and three interceptions. He also has a forced fumble.

What makes Alexander such an effective defensive back?

"I think just the combination of his skills," Petrino said. "He's got long arms; he's got really quick feet. Jaire is a smart player, so he always has an understanding of what's going on out there. He's got recovery speed, so even in the Clemson game he was actually beat on the play but he recovered and made the interception. He's got great hands. We tell recruits all the time that Jaire was a great wide receiver in high school, even played some wildcat quarterback, and we all wanted to recruit him on offense and defense and he wanted to be a corner, so we put him at corner. He's just got a great combination of being very smart and being very talented."

Alexander appeared in 12 games as a true freshman, making one start. He had 19 tackles last season, picking off a pass in the Samford win. He also returned 23 punts for 223 yards and had five punt returns of over 20 yards.

Jaire just got better and better, notching his best game in the bowl, recording 10 tackles vs. Texas A&M. He also had a 32-yard punt return.