New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner shared Saturday night on his Twitter account that he will return to the University of Cincinnati in order to complete his studies and earn his degree. Gardner stated that he is on track to finish his degree by this summer.
Gardner had put his studies on hold in order to enter the 2022 NFL Draft, where he was chosen with the No. 4 overall pick by the Jets after emerging as the top cover corner in college football. In his final year with Cincinnati, Gardner had earned consensus All-American and AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors on a Bearcats team that made the College Football Playoff.
Even though I had a 3.5 cumulative GPA after my 3rd year in college, I never got to get my degree because I wanted to leave early & purse my dream of playing in the NFL…… With that being said, I’m back enrolled in classes and on course to graduate in the summer🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
— SAUCE (@iamSauceGardner) January 15, 2023
Gardner was an instant success in the NFL, leading the league in pass breakups with 20 while not allowing a single touchdown. Gardner was pivotal to the turnaround of the Jets' defense, which helped the team jump out to a 7-4 start before losing their six games to collapse to a 7-10 finish and miss the playoffs.
Gardner was not only named to his first Pro Bowl, but he was also named a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press on Friday. Gardner became the first rookie to be named an All-Pro since Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott in 1981.
