Louisville football opens the 2023 season and the Jeff Brohm era against a formidable Georgia Tech Squad. Everything to know for the Cards and Yellow Jackets.
It’s time. Louisville football is back. And as long as we have waited over the summer, it feels surreal that the Jeff Brohm era is finally here.
Louisville football gets the ball rolling against a Georgia Tech team that has a lot of promise in 2023 and beyond.
The Cards face the Yellow Jackets every year from here forward, meaning that first-year head coach Brent Key and Brohm could be part of the beginning stages of a budding rivalry.
In their only two meetings, Tech has taken care of business against the Cards. Now, Louisville football travels to Atlanta for a “neutral site” conference game only a mile from Georgia Tech’s home stadium.
Let’s take a look at all things Louisville football and Georgia Tech as we approach one of the more anticipated matchups in years.
First Down: What to know
Who: Louisville football at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Where: Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta Georgia
What: Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game
When: Friday, September 1st, 2023 at 7:30 PM ET
How to Watch: ESPN or the ESPN App
How to Listen: 93.9 FM in Louisville
Series History: Georgia Tech leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Georgia Tech won 46-27 in Atlanta in 2020
Spread Check: Louisville -7.5 | O/U 48.5
Thread Check:
via: @aerial_videos_ on instagram
Weather Check: 77 and partly cloudy at kickoff
Roof Status: TBD; Roof was closed for walk-through Thursday
Timeout: Get Hyped
From the Pink Seats Preview:
Unofficial Hype Video:
Second Down: Projected Starters and Depth Chart
Jeff Brohm and staff do not typically release a preseason depth chart. This season was no different.
With that in mind, our best shot at the Louisville football depth chart.
*( ) represents a player’s number
*mobile users may need to toggle left and right to see full chart
| POS | Starter | |||||
| QB | (13) Jack Plummer | (19) Brock Domann | (12) Brady Allen (or) | (10) Pierce Clarkson | (6) Evan Conley | (15) Harrison Bailey |
| RB | (25) Jawhar Jordan | (23) Isaac Guerendo (or) | (4) Maurice Turner | (2) Keyjuan Brown | ||
| WR (Z) | (7) Jimmy Calloway | (2)Jadon Thompson | (88) William Fowles | |||
| WR (Y) | (9) Ahmari Huggins-Bruce | (3) Kevin Coleman | (81) Cataurus Hicks | |||
| WR (X) | (1) Jamari Trash | (0) Chris Bell | (82) Jahlil McClain | |||
| TE | (42) Josh Lifson (or) | (11) Jamari Johnson (or) | (84) Joey Gatewood (or) | (45) Duane Martin | (85) Nate Kurisky | |
| LT | (74) Eric Miller (or) | (55) Willie Tyler | (76) Luke Burgess | (78) Joe Crocker | ||
| LG | (67) John Paul Flores | (73) Madden Sanker | ||||
| C | (61) Bryan Hudson | (51) Austin Collins | (60) Sam Secrest | |||
| RG | (68) Michael Gonzalez | (71) Joshua Black | (79) Makhete Gueye | |||
| RT | (56) Renato Brown | (53) Lance Robinson (or) | (77) Vincent Lumia | |||
| Starter | ||||||
| DE | (9) Ashton Gillotte | (95) Mason Reiger | (20) Victoine Brown | (97) Rodney McGraw | (96) RJ Sorensen | |
| DT | (99) Dez Tell | (58) Jeff Clark (or) | (41) Ramon Puryear | |||
| NT | (90) Jermayne Lole (or) | (91) Tawfiq Thomas | (93) Jared Dawson | (44) Selah Brown | ||
| EDGE | (14) Stephen Herron | (12)Popeye Williams | (98) Adonijah Greene | (15) Kam Wilson | (32) Ryheem Craig | |
| ILB | (22) Keith Brown | (43) Jack Reiger (or) | (24) Jaylin Alderman | |||
| ILB | (34) TJ Quinn | (6) Stanquan Clark | (17) Jackson Hamilton | |||
| STAR | (10) Ben Perry | (13) Gilbert Freierson | (35) Antonio Watts | |||
| CB | (2) Jarvis Brownlee | (28) Trey Franklin | (31) Marcus Washington | |||
| CB | (3) Quincy Riley | (29) Storm Duck | (19) Marquis Groves-Killebrew | |||
| FS | (27) Devin Neal | (21) D’Angelo Hutchinson | ||||
| SS | (11) Cam’Ron Kelly | (5) Josh Minkins | ||||
| Starter | ||||||
| P | (93) Brady Hodges | |||||
| K | (40) Brock Travelstead | (94) Cole Hussung | ||||
| PR | (25) Jawhar Jordan | (9) Ahmari Huggins-Bruce | ||||
| KR | (9) Ahmari Huggins-Bruce | (3) Kevin Coleman |
Third Down: What to Watch For
Louisville football rush defense
In the offseason, the coaching staff made an effort to bolster the defensive line as Louisville football transitioned from a 3-4 to a 4-2-5.
With four down linemen in most situations, the Cards will have to lean heavily into the depth it developed in the offseason.
Former Arizona State star Jermayne Lole was a huge talking point last season and played all of 2 drives before an injury put him out for the season. After another small setback in the spring, Lole is finally returning to form alongside interior linemen Jared Dawson, Tawfiq Thomas, and Ramon Puryear.
The addition of veteran Georgia State transfer Jeff Clark bolsters an already solid group at the tackle spots.
On the edge, blossoming star Ashton Gilotte and TFL specialist Mason Rieger return as a dynamic duo looking to supplement the losses of NFL draftees Yaya Diaby and Yasir Abdullah.
To fill that void, Louisville football added veteran Stanford transfer and former Trinity star Stephen Herron. A tenacious gap filler in the run game and sneaky-quick athlete off the edge, Herron hopes to fill in where Diaby left off.
Herron will have the help of incoming freshman Adonijah Green, one of the crown jewels of the 2023 Louisville football class. With a 7’1″ wingspan and a reputation for getting after quarterbacks, Green is expected to be an early-impact guy.
Add Popeye Williams, Victoine Brown, and Penn State transfer Rodney McGraw, and Louisville has a chance to carry over its solid play up front from a season ago.
Georgia Tech will provide an immediate test, however.
Brent Key is a former Tech offensive lineman and offensive line coach and prides himself on the play of the Jackets in the trenches.
Under center, Tech will start mobile gunslinger Haynes King- A transfer from Texas A&M who drew Johnny Manziel comparisons out of high school.
Georgia Tech has solid depth in its backfield under the guidance of former Cards running back coach Norvall McKenzie. For the second year in a row, a former Louisville football running back will suit up for Tech. The newest addition, Trevion Cooley, had a solid career in Louisville before entering the transfer portal midway through the season. Dontae Smith, Tech’s presumed starter, will remind fans a lot of another Louisville-turned-Tech star, Hassan Hall.
If Louisville can win the battle in the trenches on defense against a solid Georgia Tech run game, they could make this a long game for the Yellow Jackets.
Can Jack Plummer become a winning quarterback?
This is perhaps the biggest storyline most aren’t talking about pertaining to Louisville football in 2023: Can Jack Plummer help Louisville win?
Plummer has been efficient and reliable behind center for Purdue and Cal. However, his record as a starting quarterback is woeful.
Though he boasted a 3,000-yard year with a 3-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio a season ago, the Bears only won 4 games.
Purdue was similarly unsuccessful in Plummer’s early years as well.
Plummer was efficient and prolific through the air, but the Boilermakers never won a game of significant consequence before handing the reigns to Aiden O’Connell.
There is a ton of experience under Plummer’s belt, but he will have to find ways to win in his first year as a Cardinal.
How Jeff Brohm and Louisville football responds to adversity
Louisville football is working in more than 40 new players- All of whom are getting acclimated to a new coaching staff.
Though the opposition has a new coach, Key was the interim head coach for 8 games a season ago.
At some point, Brohm will have to make in-game adjustments. And that very well may be the difference between winning and losing.
Look for Brohm to get players like Jamari Thrash and Jawhar Jordan open early and often to ease the Cards into the game.
If Louisville football doesn’t get off to a hot offensive start, the new college football rules may play against them.
Like in the NFL, the clock will continue running on first downs.
For a coach like Brohm, who will throw it far more than he runs it, if UofL has three and outs with multiple incompletions, they will be handing it right back to a Georgia Tech squad that will be happy to milk some clock.
How Brohm and the staff respond to adversity and change will dictate whether or not the Cads come back home with a win.
Fourth Down: Predictions
The guys predict the final score and who will score the first TD for the Cards.
Jacob Lane
Louisville 31, Georgia Tech 24
Jawhar Jordan
Matt McGavic
Louisville 38, Georgia Tech 17
Jamari Thrash
Vincent Lococo
Louisville 24, Georgia Tech 7
Jack Plummer (Rushing)
Grant Mulligan
Louisville 28, Georgia Tech 17
Josh Lifson
Presley Meyer
Louisville 30, Georgia Tech 16
Jamari Johnson
