We did it. We made it to football season. On August 31st, Louisville football will begin its 2024 campaign in L&N Stadium against Austin Peay. On paper, this is the weakest opponent they will play all season.
Hopefully, the starters are off the field early and healthy as the offense has already suffered one key injury blow in fall camp. Near the end of fall camp, star transfer portal wide receiver Caullin Lacy suffered a broken collar bone and is out indefinitely. This means others must step up in the slot position to fill his absence.
This season’s roster is potentially as talented as it has ever been.
The staple of a Jeff Brohm-led team is the offense but the two best players on the twenty-twenty-four roster reside on the defense.
However, the offense does not lack potential as two of its three leading pass-catchers from last year return with the recent addition of an unlikely returnee. Additionally, two of the top receivers in the off-season transfer portal cycle chose to join the Cards. The quarterback and tight end positions are also massively upgraded.
The common theme of a coaching change in this era of college football is that they don’t hit their stride until year two or three.
Year one under Jeff Brohm, though, was a massive success and not the norm across college football for a year one coach.
A significantly more challenging schedule in year two will not make things easy. But Louisville football used transfer portal to supplement the Cards high school recruiting, which could prove to be a difference-maker.
Over half of the projected starters on this year’s roster transferred into the program at one point in time. The position group with the most depth on offense and arguably the entire team is tight end.
A Cardinal fan might not believe that statement based on watching last year’s team. Last season Nate Kurisky was on an island as he lacked a counterpart with any sort of experience. The offseason featured three tight ends joining the offense via the transfer portal. One was a former all-conference performer; another was a former top high school recruit and the last was once a Kentucky Wildcat that gashed the Cards in the 2023 Governors Cup.
On the defensive side of the ball, the position group that lacks the most proven depth is the weakside defensive end or LEO. This is the position opposite of Ashton Gillotte. After the spring departure of Tennessee transfer Tyler Baron and injury to last year’s starter, Mason Reiger, others are forced to step up. This resulted in the Cardinals having to go to the transfer portal for spring additions. They added six players in the spring portal and four of them could line up at LEO. This move makes it evident that the Cards’ defensive staff also believed this group was thin with depth.
Let’s dive into both sides of the ball and preview the Louisville football depth chart in 2024.
Offensive Preview
Quarterback
Across the country, teams have begun to announce their starting quarterbacks that were the result of position battles in fall camp.
However, Jeff Brohm and his staff have known their starter for several months.
Their first addition in the winter transfer portal cycle was seventh-year college quarterback Tyler Shough. Though he has a past hampered by injuries, the former Oregon Duck was a coveted high school recruit was a top-ten quarterback nationally.
Shough began his career backing up future Pro-Bowler Justin Herbert. In his first season as a starter in 2020, he led the Ducks to a Pac-12 Championship victory and a Fiesta Bowl appearance.
He then transferred to Texas Tech where he was the Red Raiders starting quarterback coming out of fall camp for three straight seasons. However, all three of those seasons were shortened by injury.
The Cardinals QB-one is a four-year starter at the power-four level with tremendous upside. If he can stay healthy throughout the season, he has the potential to be the best quarterback in the ACC. Behind Shough, there are three quarterbacks that were four-star recruits coming out of high school.
Brady Allen and Harrison Bailey are both transfer players. Allen followed Brohm from Purdue. Bailey was one of the highest-regarded quarterback prospects in the 2020 recruiting class but has yet to find his footing at the college level.
Finally, Piece Clarkson was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class. His father is quarterback guru Steve Clarkson who has worked with the game’s best quarterbacks for three decades. If Shough does suffer bad injury luck the quarterback room is deep and talented. However, none of these three have any starting experience at the power-four level.
Tight End
Staying at the skill positions the offense massively upgraded at tight end this offseason.
Mark Redman transferred in from San Diego State where he was a two-time All-Mountain-West performer. Also, he is yet another Cardinal who was a highly touted recruit out of high school as he was a consensus four-star prospect.
Jaleel Skinner was another off-season addition from Miami where he spent two seasons. He was a top-five tight end in the 2022 class.
Two other names in the tight end room are Jamari Johnson and Nate Kurisky. Johnson is a second-year player who was a member of the Flyville 2023 class where he was a four-star prospect. Kurisky took the majority of first-team snaps at tight end last season which speaks volumes to the added depth at this position for this upcoming season.
Finally, Izayah Cummings joins the tight end room. He is a transfer from Kentucky so no matter the impact he makes this upcoming season that is a win for the Cards.
Running Back
The identity of the offense last season was the run game. The two-headed monster of Jawhar Jordan and Issac Guerendo was one of the best running back duos in the ACC and all over the country.
This was a shift from the usual identity of a Jeff Brohm offense that traditionally highlights the passing game.
This season was taking shape to fall back in line with the norm with the additions of two highly touted transfer portal receiver additions in Caullin Lacy and Ja’Corey Brooks.
A projected starter, Lacy will miss significant time with a broken collar bone. Lacy’s spot in the slot is a staple in the Jeff Brohm offense. The likely replacement at the slot position is Cataurus Hicks, who is an inexperienced underclassman, but his speed has flashed in fall camp.
Last week, news broke that Ahmari Huggins-Bruce had departed from South Carolina. Huggins-Bruce started in the slot for the Cards the past three seasons, but he transferred to South Carolina this past winter. With the loss of Lacy for a significant time, the addition of Huggins-Bruce could be an impactful one.
The loss of Lacy means that the outside receiver positions will take on a bigger role. The first starting outside receiver is Alabama transfer Ja’Corey Brooks who had over 600 yards in the 2022 season for the Tide. He redshirted this past season after a shoulder injury limited him to just two games. His most notable moment came as a freshman when he caught the game-tying touchdown pass at Auburn in the Iron Bowl where the Tide eventually prevailed. As a recruit, he was one of two five-star receiver prospects in the 2021 class. He was stuck in a crowded receiver room for three years in Tuscaloosa, but he has the potential to break out as a star in his first year with the Cards.
The second starting outside receiver spot will likely be occupied by returning starter Chris Bell. Bell took a big leap last season in his second year with the Cards, where he received nearly 400 yards. Behind Brooks and Bell, the receiver room is deep. Jimmy Calloway and Jadon Thompson are both former four-star high school prospects who have yet to flourish at the collegiate level. In the absence of Lacy, someone is going to have to step up.
Another name to watch is DII transfer Antonio Meeks. He recorded back-to-back seasons with roughly 700 yards receiving. If he can translate this level of production to the ACC, he is bound to have a significant role in the receiving room.
Running Backs
The final skill position group to touch on is the running backs. This is the position group with the most unknowns on the offensive side of the ball.
Donald Chaney and Maurice Turner are the front runners to get the most reps but neither one has eclipsed five hundred yards on the ground in a collegiate season.
Chaney is a Miami transfer who is entering his fifth collegiate season. He is yet another former highly-regarded recruit and is coming off his most productive season where he had nearly five hundred yards on the ground. Additionally, he had his biggest games against the best competition. He eclipsed 60 yards against both Clemson and Florida State. However, he also had games where he had limited production.
Maurice Turner returns for his third season with the Cards, and it should be his most productive. For the past two years he has been no higher than third on the depth chart, which makes production difficult.
Behind these two there are two four-star freshman that will look to make an immediate impact. Issac Brown is from South Florida and has flashed since being on campus drawing early comparisons to Jawhar Jordan. Duke Watson could also get on the field early as he chose the Cards over 15+ other Power Four offers.
Offensive Line
The final position group on the offense is the offensive line and it has the potential to be the best. The Cards return both starting guards from last season in Michael Gonzalez and Austin Collins. They have both been in the program for at least four years and will anchor the offensive line.
Gonzalez has the potential to be a day one or two draft pick next April and he will take on a major role among a group that will feature more transfers than returning starters.
Renato Brown is another candidate for the starting right guard position, but he is still rehabbing a significant leg injury he suffered in warmups at Pitt last season. Collins excelled at right guard last year and he is the likely candidate to start week one.
Center also seems to have a solidified starter in Pete Nygra. He will replace three-year starter Bryan Hudson who was one of the best in the ACC. Nygra transferred over from Northern Illinois where he was a two-year starter and the center of the year in 2023 in the MAC. In his first season as a starter in 2022, he snapped to four different quarterbacks and did not allow a single sack. At season’s end, he has the potential to be an all-conference performer.
The final two starting positions up for debate along the offensive line are the tackle spots. The likely candidates are Texas Tech transfer Monroe Mills and Yale transfer Jonathan Mendoza. Both were starting right tackles in the 2022 season but Mills made the switch to left tackle this past season where he was an all-conference performer.
Mills has experience guarding Tyler Shough’s blind side which is beneficial given Shough’s injury history.
Mendoza is a unit of an individual standing at 6’9″. He earned first-team all-conference honors in the Ivy League last year. The ACC will be a step up in competition, but he will likely be the largest tackle opposing defensive ends face all season.
Other names to keep an eye on along the offensive line are Madden Sanker and Vic Cutler. Sanker is only a redshirt freshman, but he is one of the highest-ranked recruits in program history. He now has a year under his belt in the program at a position like offensive line that requires physical development.
Cutler is also an important name as he has starting experience at center at the collegiate level. If Nygra were to get injured Cutler must be ready to fill his role.
Projected Offensive Starters
Right tackle: Jonathan Mendoza
Right guard: Austin Collins
Center: Pete Nygra
Left guard: Michael Gonzalez
Left tackle: Monroe Mills
Wide receiver: Ja’Corey Brooks
Wide receiver: Chris Bell
Slot: Cataurus Hicks / Ahmari Huggins-Bruce
Tight end: Mark Redman
Running back: Don Chaney
Quarterback: Tyler Shough
Defensive Preview
The Stars
The two best players on the 2024 Cardinals roster reside on the defense. Ashton Gillotte is a preseason First-Team-All-American. He led the team with fourteen and a half tackles for loss last season including eleven sacks. This led him to first-team all-conference honors. If the rising senior had declared for the draft, he would have gone in the first two days.
Gillotte looks to become the first Louisville football player ever to be a preseason and postseason first-team All-American.
Sixth-year Quincy Riley also decided to return for his final year of eligibility. He is a preseason All-ACC selection who has amassed ten interceptions in his three years with the Cardinals. Gillotte and Riley will lock down their respective sides of the field.
Defensive Line
Dez Tell is back for his fifth and final season on the interior of the defensive line. He has spent the last two years as a starter where he has 9.5 TFL and 5 sacks.
The second interior position along the defensive line is a bit uncertain. The projected starter is Thor Griffith who has 33.5 tackles for loss in three seasons as a starter at Harvard. He was a highly regarded transfer portal prospect this past offseason and a big pickup for Jeff Brohm and staff. However, the ACC is a big step up from the IVY league especially along the interior of the defensive line.
Jared Dawson could get significant playing time as as he enters his fifth season in the program. Dawson has been a reserve defensive tackle for several years but in a less crowded defensive line room this year he is primed to make an impact.
The LEO or weakside defensive end is still an open position battle. Mason Reiger was a strong performer here last year, but he missed fall camp, and his status is uncertain. Getting him back would be a huge win for the defense. If Reiger misses time the position will likely be filled by one of two transfers.
Myles Jernigan and Tramel Logan both transferred over in the spring transfer portal window after Tyler Baron left for Miami. Both Jernigan and Logan enter their fifth years and they have very similar body types. They will likely both get snaps at the LEO position opposite of Ashton Gillotte. With opposing offenses homing in on Gillotte, look for one of Myles Jernigan or Tramel Logan to make an impact.
Linebacker
Ron English runs a four-two-five defense which utilizes two linebackers.
These two starters are almost certainly going to be TJ Quinn and Stanquan Clark. Quinn quietly had a very productive 2023 campaign where he racked up 86 total tackles.
Clark was behind Jaylin Alderman on the depth chart last season, but Alderman departed for Miami in the offseason likely because he knew Clark was going to take his starting position.
Clark was a consensus four-star recruit in the twenty-twenty-three class and he is primed for a big season this year.
The Star position which is a linebacker safety hybrid in Ron English’s defense will likely be occupied by Ben Perry. He enters his fourth season in the program, and he is coming off his most productive year where he had career highs in tackles and tackles for loss with 56 and 6.5, respectively. A big year could set up the rising redshirt junior to depart early and get his name called in the twenty-five NFL draft.
Don’t overlook Antonio Watts as a player who could make a serious impact at the Star spot as well. The rising junior reportedly had a productive fall camp and is ready to step in for the defense.
Secondary
The final four secondary positions will feature both new faces and talented returners.
As previously mentioned, Quincy Riley will be the star of the secondary at one corner. Opposite of him will likely be Corey Thorton who transferred over from UCF for his final year of eligibility. He is a former all-conference performer coming off his career-high year in interceptions (3).
Thornton and Riley are two ball-hawk corners who should give opposing quarterbacks nightmares.
The Cards get back a key piece from injury at safety this year. MJ Griffin missed last year with a knee injury. However, in 2022 he started the year as a backup but came on in a big way as a starter in the final eight games of the season. The Temple transfer will look to return to his old ways and anchor the back half of the defense.
The final starting spot in the secondary is the strong safety spot that will likely be Devin Neal. Last season was Neal’s first as a Card where he earned all-conference honors after transferring over from Baylor. Neal was third on the team in tackles in 2023. He and Riley will provide continuity from last year’s strong secondary as they look to be even better in 2024.
Another name to keep an eye on in the secondary is Tamarion McDonald. He started for a talented Tennessee defense last season and looks to provide experience to the back half of the Cards’ defense.
Tayon Holloway and Aaron Williams are two young corners who are highly regarded. Holloway was a shut down corner for Illinois who should be heavily utilized for the Cards.
Williams received rave reviews in the offseason, and will step in as a major piece in the Louisville football secondary after taking a medical redshirt as a freshman.
They may not start day one but look for them to get playing time as they build towards bigger roles in years to come.
Projected Defensive Starters
Defensive end: Ashton Gillotte
Defensive tackle: Thor Griffith
Defensive tackle: Dez Tell
LEO: Tramel Logan or Myles Jernigan
Middle Linebacker: TJ QuinnWeakside Linebacker: Stanquan Clark
Star: Ben Perry
Cornerback: Quincy Riley
Cornerback: Corey Thornton
Strong Safety: Devin Neal
Free Safety: MJ Griffin
Special Teams
Kicker: Brock Travelstead
Punter: Brady Hodges
Kick returner 1: Maurice Turner
Punt returner 1: Ahmari Huggins-Bruce
