BIOGRAPHY
Sauce Gardner was born August 31, 2000, in Detroit, Michigan. In high school he played wide receiver and cornerback. Prior to his senior year in 2018, Gardner was named one of the top-30 players in the state of Michigan in his class by 247Sports. In the Division 3 State Championship, Gardner caught four passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. After the season, Gardner was named a First-Team All-State selection at defensive back by the Associated Press and Detroit News. He was a consensus three-star recruit and committed to the University of Cincinnati to play college football. In 2019, his true freshman season, Gardner played in 11 games. He had 31 tackles and three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He also tallied 11 passes defended and eight pass breakups. After the season, Gardner was the only true freshman named to the All-American Conference first team. As a sophomore in 2020, Gardner began the season atop the depth chart as a starter.
In the 2022 NFL Draft, Sauce Gardner was taken #4 overall by the New York Jets.
Gardner made his first career interception in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins. In Week 7, he had 10 tackles and three pass breakups against the Denver Broncos, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Gardner was selected for the 2023 Pro Bowl Games, joining Tariq Woolen of the Seattle Seahawks as the only rookies selected. He was also named a first-team All-Pro after the season's conclusion, becoming the first rookie cornerback to achieve the honor since Ronnie Lott in 1981.
On February 9, 2023, Sauce was awarded the Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
