LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Saturday will be a busy, sentimental day for UofL fans at Cardinal Stadium. Lamar Jackson's No. 8 jersey is being retired during halftime of the Louisville-Syracuse football game kicking off at noon.

The former Heisman Trophy winner will be in attendance as the Cardinals retire just the second jersey in school history during a halftime ceremony at midfield, UofL Athletics announced this week. The No. 8 will be permanently mounted on the East side of Cardinal Stadium along side the No. 16 of the one and only Johnny Unitas.

Louisville has painted Jackson's No. 8 on the field to mark the occasion. Fans will be able to celebrate Lamar at The Alley before the game including photos with fan cutouts with some of Jackson's most iconic moments in his Louisville career, as well as temporary No. 8 tattoos to mark the occasion.

"This is going to be a special day for Louisville Football, and something we have been looking forward to for months," Vice-President/Director of Athletics Vince Tyra said. "Once the NFL schedule was released, we were able to overlay that scheduling calculus with our own home games, resulting in a bit of serendipity, that we will honor Lamar as we take on Syracuse."

The program surprised Jackson with the announcement of his jersey retirement on Oct. 16. Jackson went to a television studio in Balitimore expecting to talk to the media about his next NFL game, but UofL had other plans.

"His genuine gratitude was so true to who he is as a person and he has truly touched us all," Tyra said.

The first 20,000 fans in the gates will receive a black No.8 rally towel to commemorate the occasion, and all souvenir beverage cups will have a special design available for purchase at the concession stands.

Jackson even has his own official day, in Louisville at least. Mayor Greg Fischer announced that Nov. 13, 2021 will be known as Lamar Jackson Day in Louisville.

On Friday, UofL Athletics also unveiled special signage on campus honoring Jackson, including Lamar Jackson Way and 8 mph speed limit signs near Cardinal Stadium.

As announced in July, Saturday is also Military Appreciation Day and Louisville looks forward to honoring service members as well.

The Louisville-Syracuse showdown was previously designated as a "Blackout Game" in July to correspond with the team's uniform selection. However, once the dates worked out to retire Jackson's No. 8, fans are encouraged to wear anything to celebrate him and military members for the noon game.

Additional in-game content reflective of Jackson's on-field play and off-field community impact will be woven throughout the game.