There was a time not long ago when Lamar Jackson could go to the mall, go to a restaurant, go just about anywhere and not be the center of the universe.

That was before he scorched Charlotte for eight touchdowns (six passing, two rushing).

“It’s crazy, you know,’’ he said. “I can’t go certain places now.’’

There was a time when he wasn’t a Sports Illustrated cover man, when the college football world wasn’t trying to figure out: “What. Just. Happened?’’

That was before he took a blowtorch to Florida State’s defense and scorched it for five touchdowns (one passing, four rushing).

There was a time when it was completely fine for Jackson to avoid the spotlight and develop as a quarterback for Louisville.

“I didn’t really like being in front of the attention,’’ he said. “I don’t like stuff like that.’’

Now, though, Jackson is a large reason why the 7-1 Cardinals are ranked seventh in the BCS standings coming into Saturday’s matchup against Boston College at Alumni Stadium, and he’s a completely transformed version of the quarterback the Eagles faced a year ago.

He is the face of Louisville football, the most electric player in the nation, and the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.

From the time Jackson stood on the podium at ACC media day in Charlotte in August, he prepared himself for a spotlight that would inevitably follow him all season. He embraced it.

The process involved not only evolving into an unstoppable threat as both a runner and a passer, but coming out of his shell.

“I’m meeting new people; it’s always good meeting new people,’’ Jackson said. “It’s a great experience, being so young and being able to compete with other great players and get that acknowledgment. It’s a great journey.’’

Highlights and hurdles

The process began as soon as the Cardinals lifted the Governor’s Cup last season. Louisville rallied to beat Kentucky, 38-24, and took bragging rights for the fifth straight year in a rivalry that goes back more than a century.

With 316 total yards, Jackson was a force. He ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns. He threw for 130 yards and another score. But he completed just 8 of 21 passes.

As a true freshman, Jackson was still learning coach Bobby Petrino’s system. But he was determined not to be tagged with the backhanded compliment of being a “dual threat quarterback.’’

He wanted to prove he was a complete quarterback.

“We talked a lot about making a commitment to being a quarterback and making sure he understood that he was different than everybody else on the team,’’ Petrino said earlier in the year. “That we expected him to put more time into studying the playbook and being more of a student of the game.’’

In the Music City Bowl against Texas A&M, he ran for 226 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-26 passing.

“He really excelled at it,’’ Petrino said. “He really prepared for the bowl game, really did a great job of studying video. We talked about his footwork and getting in the right position to throw the ball. He’s been very coachable and a great worker.’’

Jackson’s assault on the ACC this season is an extension of the strides he took last season. His numbers pop off the page.

He has 38 total touchdowns (22 passing, 16 rushing), and only 23 teams have found the end zone more than that. The record that Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan set for total touchdowns — 63 in 2006 — is in striking distance, as is Barry Sanders’s record for rushing touchdowns (37).

His highlights seem to defy physics. Louisville film sessions feel like a “SportsCenter’’ Top Plays compilation. At the top of the list is the image of Jackson hurdling Syracuse defensive back Cordell Hudson on the way to the end zone in a 62-28 win over the Orange in September.

“There’s always times where you go, ‘Wow,’ and he’s made some great plays,’’ Petrino said. “I remember the one at [Syracuse] that he jumped over the guy and scored a touchdown. The first thing I was thinking was, ‘What the heck are you doing?’ But then it was, ‘Wow, great play.’ ’’

But the progress Jackson has made in a year’s time is what has made him the end-all, be-all in any Heisman conversation.

“I’ve just got to keep going at it,’’ he said. “You’ve got to keep always trying to better yourself, trying to improve. Always room for improvement.’’

Influence of an idol

Jackson was three days away from his third birthday in 2000 when the quarterback that would shape his identity hijacked the college football world in the national championship game.

Michael Vick was an alien-like phenomenon as a redshirt freshman at Virginia Tech. He was like nothing college football had ever seen, and in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State, every aspect of his talent was on display.

He scorched the Seminoles for 225 passing yards, 97 rushing yards, and two touchdowns (one through the air, one on the ground). The fact that Florida State won, 46-29, was an afterthought.

The Seminoles were as much in awe of Vick as anyone else. Safety Sean Key said, “Michael Vick already has my vote for next year’s Heisman. Who out there is better than him? Who out there is even close?’’

Observers have tried to find countless comparisons for Jackson: Johnny Manziel, Robert Griffin III, Denard Robinson. But Vick, in many ways, is in Jackson’s DNA.

“The greatest — I feel — the greatest quarterback ever,’’ Jackson said. “That’s my favorite player.’’

This season, Vick was watching from afar when Jackson torched Florida State for 216 passing yards, 146 rushing yards, and five touchdowns (four rushing). He tweeted, “Lamar Jackson 5x better than what I was at V-Tech . . . Enough said!! #future.’’

The compliment from an idol knocked Jackson off his feet.

“That’s still my favorite player,’’ Jackson said. “I feel he’s five times better than me. I’m not going to lie. I was shocked.’’

If Vick was the first smartphone, Jackson was an iPhone 7.

And Petrino nearly had both of them at his disposal. In 2007, Petrino signed a five-year, $24 million contract to coach the Atlanta Falcons, with the vision of turning Vick into the most dangerous weapon in the NFL.

It never happened.

Vick was implicated in a dogfighting scandal that sent him to prison and nearly derailed his career. Petrino resigned, suddenly and controversially, before the season ended.

Petrino never got to find out how much he could maximize a quarterback like Vick. The lingering question was “what if.’’

With Jackson in Louisville, you can see the answer. And the spotlight will only get brighter.

Along with the records he stands a chance of breaking, he has a chance to lead the Cardinals to their first national championship game (though they will need help from Clemson).

As it stands, he will likely be the first player to bring the Heisman Trophy to Louisville.

“Lamar is great,’’ Petrino said. “He’s the same person he’s always been, comes to work, works extremely hard, has a big smile on his face. He’s a great young man with a tremendous attitude. He’s been able to handle all this great, and I’m just really proud of him.’’

The scariest part is that he’ll be back next season.

“It’s a great journey,’’ Jackson said. “Hopefully it keeps going. It’s fun.’’

Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com.