When the 90-minute clock starts ticking down toward kickoff, that’s when the transformation happens. Lamar Jackson goes from the fun leader who circles the locker room, keeping everyone light, to the laser-focused commander of the Ravens’ high-powered offense.

It’s a switch a lot of football players have — linebacker Roquan Smith, for example, is known for going from a jovial presence in the facility to a hard-hitting, aggressive defender.

But the locked-in Jackson is often the only one fans see. Although he shows flashes of his personality in press conferences, he has kept his circle tight and rarely showed up in national promotions or even Ravens-produced videos.

That is, until this past offseason.

In May, Complex Sports dropped the first of a series of video interviews with Jackson in which he reacted to fans’ comments, gave insight into his business and his likes and dislikes and tried to do a Baltimore accent.

That was followed by a project with GQ. Jackson adorned the cover, and, in addition to the article and photo shoot, appeared in a series of videos that have been released over time this season.

At about the same time, Jackson signed a deal with Gatorade, leading to a new television commercial — and billboard.

Suddenly, anyone driving north on Interstate 95 to Baltimore was greeted by the face of the Ravens.

But, for as much as he’s shared, there’s way more to know about Jackson. His reclusiveness has only raised the appetite for Jackson-related tidbits.

Even within the locker room, it can be hard to make it into his inner circle. But this is the Lamar Jackson, a man of juxtapositions — complex in his simplicity.

Teammates have come to know him after hours of practice and meetings — through triumph and despair — and shared their favorite stories about the recently turned 28-year-old athlete who constantly achieves the unthinkable, most notably being so popular and so enigmatic at the same time.

Football superstar

The first thing anyone in the Ravens’ locker room knew about Jackson is that he’s a great football player.

Players around his age or older remember when Jackson first came onto the scene. As a high schooler, he made “SportsCenter” with a step-back juke touchdown that he recently discussed with Complex. Some teammates didn’t know it was him at the time, but the image stuck with them.

“Everyone’s known him since that high school highlight,” tight end Charlie Kolar said. “He did the little quick stop and then walked into the end zone.”

Once he won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore at Louisville in 2016, Jackson’s name was hard for any football fan to miss. Now, after seven NFL seasons and two MVPs, Jackson has become a player his own teammates grew up idolizing.

“From the outside looking in, just growing up and watching him play, it’s Lamar Jackson,” rookie quarterback Devin Leary said. “Like, he’s a superstar.”

He’s a household name in Baltimore and NFL-watching homes around the world. However, knowing his name and his stats barely scratches the surface of who he is.

“You get here and you start to realize things that everyone else doesn’t see,” Kolar said.

Just a guy

His authenticity and humility are the first things wide receiver Rashod Bateman noticed about Jackson.

“You never know what to expect out of superstar guys who are very popular and make a lot of money,” Bateman said. “But Lamar is very — he’s the most normal NFL player I ever met.”

Wide receiver Malik Cunningham has known Jackson since college and said he’s always been that way — and fame hasn’t changed him.

“He’s just L,” Cunningham said. “He’s normal.”

That’s why, out of all the memories tight end Isaiah Likely has made with Jackson, his favorite is his first.

“You come in, you hear headlines, like ‘Lamar Jackson!’” Likely said. “We obviously play with him on ‘Madden.’ ... First thing he does is he smacks you upside the head as a rookie, like ‘What’s up, Rook?’”

Genius

Drafted four years after Jackson, Kolar was well aware of who Jackson was by the time he joined the Ravens. As he went about meeting his new teammates and learning the team’s systems, Kolar was astounded by just how smart Jackson is beyond what he shows on Sundays.

Jackson’s startling talent is paired with a brilliant mind — one that for too long went unnoticed thanks to lingering stereotypes about “athletic” (or Black) QBs.

Quarterbacks coach Tee Martin joked last season that sometimes you have to find ways to keep him challenged, much like the kid who gets up to mischief at school because he’s too smart for classes.

“He thinks differently, he sees things differently, and when you start coaching him on an everyday basis, you understand that he’s very meticulous about what he’s doing and he’s very detailed.”

Ravens quarterbacks coach Tee Martin

When he arrived at Louisville, he had never used a playbook and didn’t much feel like studying one. He was forced to learn. Now he’s pointing out things no one else sees.

“He’s seamless with all the motions, the transitions, the reads,” Kolar said.

Martin coached the Ravens receivers before becoming quarterbacks coach, so he got to see Jackson’s genius from multiple perspectives.

“He used to explain stuff to us in the receiver room, and how he would talk, I used to think, ‘Man, this dude is different,’” Martin said. “He thinks differently, he sees things differently, and when you start coaching him on an everyday basis, you understand that he’s very meticulous about what he’s doing and he’s very detailed.”

People sometimes doubt Jackson because of the way he talks — a fact he acknowledges — but he refuses to alter the way he grew up speaking in South Florida. But his intelligence goes beyond the field.

Tight end Mark Andrews said he witnesses it in their everyday conversations, when Jackson makes well-thought-out comments. And punter Jordan Stout said he was pleasantly surprised to find out on last year’s flight home from London just how deep Jackson is willing to dive into conversations. The two of them, along with Andrews and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, had a fun time sharing and bantering about conspiracy theories.

No nonsense

When Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen thought ahead to the first rivalry match against his former team, he named Likely as the player he was most excited about talking smack to. There was no mention of Jackson despite their years-old friendship.

That’s because Jackson does not engage in shenanigans such as smack talk once the 90-minute countdown starts.

His serious approach to the film room extends to the field, where he has a one-track mind. In the moment, he’s focused on scoring. Overall, he’s focused on a Super Bowl ring.

His mantra is to the point: “Let’s get seven.” Likely said he rarely adds much else, even after great plays.

“He’ll dap you up, let you know you did a good thing, let you hit your dance and then let you know, we need it again next drive,” Likely said.

His focus extends to his teammates.

“Sometimes other players get frustrated, and he’ll come pull us back and keep us in check,” Bateman said. “You can tell Lamar is definitely a person that believes in karma, so you don’t want to do something that will cost us later.”

Goofball

Ninety minutes and four quarters later, Jackson snaps back to his normal, goofball self.

He’s got jokes, and he’s not afraid to share them.

“There’s always something funny with him,” Cunningham said.

Kolar was the recipient (or victim) of Jackson’s humor last summer. The Oklahoma-born tight end was curious about how his hair would look in braids, and running back Justice Hill hooked him up with his hairdresser, Ms. Kia, so they could see how it looked.

Kolar said he wasn’t doing it for publicity, just out of curiousity, and was hoping to keep a low profile. But that backfired when he took his hoodie off to get ready to shower and Jackson caught a glimpse.

“So it wasn’t low key because he has like a gazillion followers,” Kolar said. “… He thought it was funny. He’s the one with the ball, so he’s the one with the most important opinion.”

Sometimes Jackson expresses his humor in a facial expression, Bateman said. Sometimes it’s in his witty comebacks — and he always has one.

“If you ever watch me or Zay [Flowers] or Leek [Cunningham] play around or joke with him, you always see him fire back with a quick comment,” Likely said.

At the same time, Jackson’s not afraid to share when he’s not amused. He clearly left some scars with Likely, who still brings up the moment when Jackson said on television that he didn’t like Flowers’ and Likely’s touchdown celebration.

At other times, it’s hard to tell if Jackson is amused, Cunningham said. He won’t laugh, but then he’ll bring your joke up later.

Fashionista

With Jackson always on them, teammates have to seize any opportunity to get in their own jokes. And they were surprised with the perfect chance last summer when GQ released its photo shoot.

“Now that was funny,” Likely said. “Because he didn’t tell us. Usually he’ll always tell us something he doin’. But he left it up to the fans and left us to see it on our time.”

The photos went “straight to the chat,” Likely said. Focused on ribbing Jackson, their favorite was based less on fashion and more on humor. They got great content out of him posing with oranges and telling him he’s “real Hollywood.”

Bateman was also shocked, and while the memory made him smile, jokes were not his immediate response.

“I told him I was so proud of him for that,” said Bateman, who appreciated the red outfit. “Oh my God, it surprised everyone. It surprised everyone to see Lamar in a Gatorade commercial. Nobody knew. It just kind of happened. Kind of unexpected. I was surprised to even see Lamar in Paris [for Fashion Week] because nobody see Lamar anywhere besides playing football or at home.”

But Jackson is exploring new avenues, one of which made wide receiver Tylan Wallace laugh as much as seeing him in the fur coat in the GQ shoot did.

“I never thought I’d see Lamar Jackson in cowboy boots,” Wallace said.

Unc

One of Likely’s favorite ways to get at Jackson is to make fun of his age.

Jackson is an ancient 28 years old to Likely’s 24. He’s also an “old soul” with “uncle-type vibes,” Cunningham said.

“Probably somebody that grew up with a bunch of old people,” Cunningham said.

Likely enjoys sending pictures of old football players to their group chat and asking Jackson if he played with them.

But Likely, Cunningham and Flowers help keep Jackson young. For as much as Jackson is on Instagram, he’s not always hip.

“That’s why he’s got me, Zay and Big Zay [Likely],” Cunningham said.

Football’s Lil Wayne

Jackson might be old, but he “makes everything look cool,” Leary said. “He’s always cool, calm and collected, and when it’s time to shine and all the lights are on him, he’s gonna show.”

That’s why Martin dubbed him the “Lil Wayne of football,” a comparison that hit home for Leary.

“I love Lil Wayne too,” Leary said. “I think he’s one of the greatest of all time, and for him to kind of make that comparison, it was like, ‘OK, I can see that for sure.’”

Martin has been watching Jackson since his high school days, so he’s had years to think about the comparison, and the similarities have piled up.

Both the rapper and the quarterback showed greatness at a young age. They were “Renaissance men” and “savants.” And Lil Wayne raps like Jackson plays.

“Everyone always talks about the freestyle Weezy — and Lil Wayne, when he freestyles, it’s one of the best versions of him,” Martin said. “And Lamar does the same stuff, when he’s scrambling, when he’s creating, but he knows exactly what he’s doing when he does that. So I said that in a sense of comparing him to Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, guys like that who could come off the top of their heads and put out the best art, some of the most intellectual art, and they’re just ahead of their time at what they do.”

One of one

Even constant exposure to Jackson can’t dull the wonder that comes with experiencing historical greatness. In fact, both tight ends Kolar and Likely said they sometimes have to remind themselves to stop gawking and play.

“At the end of the day, most football players are football fans — it’s hard [not] to watch it. Like I do it, too,” Kolar said. “… I’ll genuinely be watching the game, and I’ll be like, ‘I think that might be the greatest play I’ve ever seen in my entire life.’ And this happens on like, a monthly or weekly basis.”

“I mean, sometimes you got to realize, like, what he’s doing is kind of trying to get you open and get everybody involved,” Likely said. “So like, obviously, like, when you get caught up watching, like, ‘Damn, oh, wait, let me get open for him.’ Like, he’s running around so I can get open.”

Likely shook himself out of his moment of fandom just in time to be part of one of Jackson’s craziest highlights of the year: his touchdown pass against the Cincinnati Bengals (which was followed by another crazy one against the Bengals a month later).

Just a good guy

For as much as everyone can say about Jackson the player, every person interviewed included one simple descriptor. Lamar Jackson, at the end of the day, is just a good guy.

That, as much as the fact that they’re taking part in history, is why Likely is trying to soak up every moment with him.

The examples go on and on, yet there aren’t enough words to convey Jackson at his core.

“I’m running out of positive adjectives to describe him,” Kolar said.

This story has been updated to correct the direction drivers are headed on I-95 when they encounter the Lamar Jackson billboard.