Louisville football: Cards lose offensive line guru Dwayne Ledford

Louisville football loses offensive coordinator Dwayne Ledford to the NFL. Where the Cards turn next.

This week, Louisville football fans praised former star quarterback Dave Ragone after it he was announced as the new offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. After serving as the quarterback’s coach and passing coordinator for the Bears, Ragone received the opportunity of a lifetime to move up the coaching ranks.

Less than a day later, another Louisville football family member is moving up the coaching ranks. After two years as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Cards, Dwayne Ledford is moving on. He’ll join Ragone in Atlanta as the new offensive line coach.

The ties for Ledford to the new Falcons staff don’t end with his current employer being the alma mater of the OC. According to NFL Reporter Tom Pelissero, there are ties with new head coach Arthur Smith from their days at UNC. There, Ledford was an assistant coach while Smith was an offensive lineman back in 2005.

Some may wonder if Ledford has the pedigree for the NFL after coaching exclusively in college football over the last decade. While he lacks NFL coaching experience, Ledford was an NFL offensive lineman from 1999 to 2005. He spent time with several organizations, including the 49ers, Jaguars, Browns, and Panthers.

What the Atlanta Falcons are getting

For Ledford, you absolutely love to see it. After Louisville football was one of the worst power five offensive lines in 2018, Ledford quickly turned the Cards into a powerful unit. They were a big part of the offense’s success in 2019. Ledford’s line demonstrated the ability to control the line of scrimmage in all phases.

In 2020 the group continued to trend upward, improving from 39 total sacks in ’19 to 30. Though Louisville plateaued in 2020, Ledford was able to get the absolute most out of each player who took the field.

The track record for Ledford speaks for itself. Not only does he have NFL playing experience, but he produced multiple NFL players including several first-rounders. He understands what it takes to succeed not only in college, but also in the NFL. I expect him to thrive in his new role.

The impact for Louisville football

For Louisville football, this flat out sucks. I love watching coaches take steps in their career and go on to bigger things. However, I’ve not been shy in saying I thought year three was going to be the year of the offensive line. For Ledford, it’s a huge opportunity. For the Cards, it’s a bigger loss. Even worse, now there’s an easy narrative for fans to run with that coaches leaving is a bad sign about Satterfield’s future.

As far as the offensive line goes, Louisville is set to return every starter from last year’s team. They’ll also bring back a strong group of young, athletic, and hungry players who will provide an incredible amount of depth up front.

I’ll miss Ledford’s energy, which was something that was apparent every time you watched him.

I will miss his “Band of Brothers” mantra that was a driving force in creating a nasty offensive line that did its best to smash you in the mouth.

I’ll miss his bromance with Scott Satterfield.

I’ll miss his badass beard that was easily one of the best in college football.

And most importantly, I’ll miss his leadership as both as a coach and leader of men.

Satterfield has his work cut out for him now as he’ll work to replace both Ledford and former quarterback’s coach Frank Ponce, who left for Appalachian State earlier this month. He’s already made one really nice hire this offseason, replacing former running back’s coach Norval McKenzie with ECU’s DeRail Sims.

So what now for Louisville football?

So where does Louisville football go from here? I think the first call is obvious.

Make the call to Brian Brohm and make him turn you down.

Satterfield has the support of the fan base, even after the fiasco late in 2020. But can you imagine if he brought in the former star quarterback and arguably one of the greatest players in program history to lead the offense?

Brohm may be willing to listen. He has served as Purdue’s co-offensive coordinator under older brother former Card, Jeff. Recently, however, he’s interviewed for a few different jobs – including the offensive coordinator position at Kentucky.

However, if Satterfield goes the route of a coach like Brohm – there then would have to be a second hire made on the offensive line. Former tight end Ean Pfeifer suggested that Nic Cardwell, a former Quality Assistant at Louisville, could fill the role.

It’s going to be an interesting couple of weeks in Louisville. Nailing these hires (OC & O Line) as well as the quarterback’s coach role will be crucial to the future of Scott Satterfield.