Gardner impressed with a 4.41 40-yard dash at this year’s draft combine. “Things that I wanted, she would give me a hard time when I’m asking for it. “Growing up in Detroit, I didn’t really have anything, but what I did have was a mother who always made the impossible possible,” Gardner said, per the Detroit News. Gardner stayed out of trouble thanks to his mother’s efforts, and he credits her for where he is in his career to this day. Gardner is the youngest of three siblings and was raised alone by his mother, Alisha, in Detroit. Gardner was still raw and far from a star at that point in his career, yet he was still able to make a big-time play in a big-time moment. When did Fickell know Gardner was the real deal? He was thrust into duty as a true freshman against a UCF team that was ranked in the top 20 and not only held his own, but came down with a clutch interception that altered the outcome of the game. He quickly settled in at his new position and earned all-state honors as a senior. Gardner played running back as a youth and started his high school career at receiver. Gardner’s recruitment took off late due largely to his move to cornerback not coming until midway through his junior season at Martin Luther King. Gardner eventually settled on Cincinnati due in large part to the efforts of Mike Mickens, who is now the cornerbacks coach at Notre Dame. Indiana, Kentucky and Syracuse were the only Power 5 programs to offer Gardner, and many of the other Group of 5 programs were looking at him at wide receiver. In fact, he didn’t have a ton of opportunities to choose from. Gardner wasn’t a hot commodity on the recruiting trail coming out of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit. People always ask: ‘What is going to happen to him when he gets 10 balls caught on him and two touchdowns in a game?’ Well, I wouldn’t know because we’ve never seen it happen, but I don’t think he is going to get rattled. “Everybody loves him, and it’s not just because he’s a great player,” Fickell told NJ.com. What isn’t always shown to the public is Gardner’s humbleness, which Fickell got a glimpse of every day. Gardner oozes confidence and swagger that is easily seen on the surface. “When he was drafted and I hugged him, I called him Sauce and had a little chuckle.”įickell gave Gardner grief over his nickname while he was at Cincinnati, but he was still one of his favorite players in the program. “I am not a big nickname guy so I always harassed him and said you are Ahmad until the day you are drafted and then I will call you Sauce,” Fickell said in an interview with NJ.com. When Gardner went off the board to the Jets, his college coach gave in and delivered on his promise. Fickell told Gardner that he wouldn’t call him Sauce until the day he got drafted. Gardner’s nickname quickly caught on at Cincinnati, but head coach Luke Fickell was not having any of it. I have to know when to flip the switch up and turn the switch off.” The Sauce is within me, so I’m always Sauce. When I’m in my little calm mood, it’s just me being Ahmad. “When I’m on and off the field, I make sure I’ve got the sauce,” Gardner said. In an interview with the New York Post, Gardner said he made the nickname synonymous with confidence in all aspects of his life. Gardner eventually decided to give the nickname that followed him all the way to Cincinnati a personality of its own. It’s stuck with me all the way up to here.”
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There wasn’t really no meaning, I was an elusive running back, I could juke. “It really came from my athletic ability on the field,” Gardner said in a 2020 interview with Cincinnati’s student newspaper. He claims it was given to him due to his already apparent athletic ability. As it turns out, the nickname first came about when Gardner was just 6 years old. “Sauce” isn’t a nickname Gardner earned as a budding high school star on the gridiron and it wasn’t bestowed upon him when he got to Cincinnati.
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Here are 10 things to know about Gang Green’s newest prized corner. The rangy Gardner is an ideal fit in New York’s defense, but he also brings plenty to the table in terms of personality. Gardner was considered by many to be the top cornerback in this year’s draft after a standout career at Cincinnati that featured a trip to the College Football Playoff in 2021. The Jets kicked off the 2022 NFL draft by adding an impact cornerback in Ahmad Gardner with the No.