Louisville’s Jamari Staples goes from unheralded to unstoppable

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Jamari Staples is 6-foot-4, long and lean with quick burst speed. He has a 41-inch vertical leap, and when the ball is in the air, his strong hands ensure that, by all rights, it belongs to him. He’s a quick study in the playbook, too, running precise routes again and again. He’s the epitome of a leader by example, his coach said.

It’s the total package, a receiver with size and strength and speed and maturity, a player with a future running routes on Sundays. And yet, when Staples wrapped up his high school career in Lineville, Alabama, in 2013, only two FBS schools had offered a scholarship to play receiver: Western Kentucky and UAB.

“I think he’s one of the most under-recruited players in college football history,” said Garrick McGee, the man who inked Staples at UAB. “Jamari could start for any college in the country.”

Staples’ career path should’ve been a straight line to the pros. Instead, it has been filled with twists and turns and transfers, but as he approaches his senior season as Louisville’s top receiver, the ending point remains the same. Only now, the rest of the world is starting to notice what McGee saw so many years ago.

“It’s funny how blessings come in disguise,” Staples said. “A year-and-a-half ago, I didn’t know what my future may hold. I’ve been fortunate to land here.”

Staples’ career at UAB began well enough. As a freshman, he caught 31 passes for 458 yards and four touchdowns. But by the end of his sophomore year, any plans for a bright future with the Blazers ended with a vote by the Alabama Board of Trustees that killed the UAB football program entirely.

By this point, McGee had moved on to Louisville, where he was the offensive coordinator. Head coach Bobby Petrino already liked Staples’ skill set, though …

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