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Can we credit Jaire Alexander's rise in the NFL to his parents' unwavering support?

Jaire Alexander is probably one of the most exhilarating stories on the defensive side of the ball. Alexander was born in Philly but moved to Charlotte as a toddler. While the houses in which he lived kept changing, one thing that remained constant was his father Earl Landis Alexander coaching him since the ripe age of seven.

Jaire was born to Tawanda and Earl L Alexander on Feb 9, 1997, and his parents didn’t expect his football career to make life so “surreal” for them. They knew he would be a star since the CB was a kid. However, Alexander being a first-round pick for the Green Bay Packers was not something his parents were prepared for.

Who are Jaire Alexander’s parents?

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While we know a few things about his father through Jaire’s experiences, any information about his mother is shrouded in mystery. We don’t know what they do for a living either. However, his parents have been watching him play ever since his Rocky River High School days.

In fact, his father has been pretty invested in his football career since his childhood. He wasn’t a top prospect coming out of high school and many teams passed on him. But there came a time when all of U of L’s opponents knew exactly who Jaire Alexander was and what they missed out on.

“He makes it a point to kind of give them the blues every time he plays them,” Landis Alexander told Courier Journal. “He was really trying to show what they missed.” It was 2016 when Lamar Jackson and Jaire Alexander were playing on the same Louisville team. Jaire’s iconic 69-yard punt return that led to a touchdown had his father “nearly hyperventilating with excitement.”

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Can we credit Jaire Alexander's rise in the NFL to his parents' unwavering support?

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But then, later in the same quarter, Jaire Alexander had another chance at a punt return and his father nearly fainted. “The second time, if he had actually scored, I may have actually needed an ambulance,” Landis Alexander said. The Cards won that game 63-20. That sophomore season opened up new avenues that could possibly land him in the NFL.

Agents from far and wide flocked to Alexander and his father saw the fame as a distraction. He told his son to concentrate and prepare for the big journey ahead. “I don’t want any distractions for the season, and we forbade anyone to even make contact with him. He still has to play. If he doesn’t have a good season, then none of that stuff even matters.”

But his junior season passed, and things were going well. His father, at one point, confirmed that Alexander got an invitation to the NFL Combine and was stoked about it. Things went well at the Combine, and Jaire finally found his way in the NFL.

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The Packers CB’s father’s reaction to his selection in the big leagues

To say the least, his father was ecstatic about what his son had achieved. Watching him on the TV was “surreal” and “overwhelming” for Jaire Alexander’s family. However, his father never imagined the day his son would make it to the NFL.

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“We saw him being a good player, and I thought he would do well, but honestly I can’t say we saw this much,” Landis Alexander said. “I saw that he was going to be successful, but it’s just overwhelming sometimes to think, ‘That’s our son on TV, our son in these pictures.’ It’s amazing. You hear the term ‘surreal’ all the time, but there’s no other way to even phrase it. It is surreal.”

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These days, his father maintains a very active social media presence on X. Apart from sharing motivating quotes, Landis Alexander shares each and every minute detail about his son. He even shared the footage when Alexander shoved CeeDee Lamb too! “I make the impossible possible!” is what his X handle says. Perhaps that became true when his son found himself chasing his wildest dreams.