Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham isn’t running from being compared to former Louisville great Lamar Jackson.

“Who wouldn’t want to be compared to Lamar?” Cunningham said at ACC Kickoff on Wednesday morning. “In my opinion, the best college football player to ever play the sport.”

Jackson, of course, won the Heisman Trophy in 2016 and nearly led the Cardinals all the way to the ACC Championship Game. He 3,543 yards and 30 touchdowns while rushing for 1,571 yards and 21 additional scores.

Cunningham hasn’t reached that level of production yet, but he does have a similar skillset. Last season, he posted a 150.4 passer efficiency rating — a better figure than Jackson ever produced at Louisville. Cunningham also rushed for 1,030 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Louisville has struggled to find its footing since Jackson departed after the 2017 season. The Cardinals bottomed out in 2018 (2-10) and then again in 2020 (4-7). While Scott Satterfield has led Louisville to a bowl game in 2 of his 3 seasons in charge, he’ll be looking to create more stability in the program this season.

Having Cunningham back for a 5th season gives Louisville a chance to do just that. The Cardinals open the 2022 season with Syracuse on Sept. 3.