Louisville Cardinals 2018 Football Preview

Louisville Cardinals 2018 Football Depth Chart

Opening Statement: It's like starting over again at Louisville. Lamar Jackson, the most successful QB in school history statistically speaking, has moved on. The Cardinals have holes all over the place on offense and defense, and Bobby Petrino has the task of filling multiple spots in fall camp, as many answers did not come through in the spring. It could be a big stepping back year for a team that never fully lived up to the hype the last couple of seasons.

Breakdown Offense: The Lamar Jackson era has ended, and now the job moves to the hands of  Jawon Pass, the RS sophomore who has plenty of talent, but is limited on overall experience and game action. He did manage to get himself into 6 games last season, and he completed 23/33 passes for 238 yards and 2 scores to zero INTs. He will have a different look than Jackson had, as he will be under center more often, and the read options will decrease in usage.

Sophomore Dae Williams, a sophomore, will likely be the new RB, but Jackson was also, by far, the leading rusher for the Cardinals last fall, so they will have to take a completely different approach to the position this fall. Williams carried just 38 times last fall, but averaged 6.18 yards per carry, so he has talent and ability, but lacks overall experience. Colin Wilson, Tray Smith, and Malik Staples are all in the mix, and along with Williams, were the only 4 scholarship backs on the roster this spring, and all four were hurt during the spring session, and Wilson is coming off of an ACL tear. This could be a situation that bares watching in fall camp.

Jaylen Smith returns as the star receiver for the Cardinals, as he caught 60 passes last fall for 980 hards and 7 scores, while averaging 16.33 yards per catch. Dez Fitzpatrick caught 9 TD passes last fall as a freshman, and also returns after catching 45 balls for 699 yards, averaging 15.53 yards per grab. Seth Dawkins, who caught 42 passes last fall, is also returning as a junior. Tutu Atwell, a former QB, has some serious speed skill, and moved up in spring ball. Corey Reed and Josh Johnson will add depth.

Keari Averett, who caught 7 passes for 79 yards as a freshman last fall, projects to enter fall camp as the starter at TE. Senior Micky Crum and junior Jordan Davis will also be in the mix.

There is plenty of talent coming back on the line, with 4 players who ended the season as starters returning in Mechi Becton (LT), Kenny Thomas (LG), Robbie Bell (C), and Lukayus McNeil (RT). Linwood Foy, a senior, projects to win the starting job at RT. Luke for Cole Bentley to give a major push at C after Robbie Bell was hurt during the spring session. Caleb Chandler adds depth at the OG spot, while Nate Scheler brings additional depth at the C spot.

Breakdown Defense: The Cardinals need to find 3 new starters on the line from a defense that allowed 27.4 points per game last fall, and allowed 163 yards rushing. GG Robinson returns at DT, and is the only returning starter up front. He finished with just 3 TFLs last fall in 13 games as a sophomore. Henry Famurewa is projected to win the other starting DT spot, and also added 3 TFLs. Derek Dorsey could back up the DT spots, or play outside in a rotation, and Caleb Tillman could play the same role. Jon Greenard and Amante Caban are projected to start at DE, but JC transfers Michael Boykin and Jared Goldwire could have something to say as well for Caban's spot. Greenard is a beast who led the team with 15.5 TFLs last fall, and tied for the team lead with 7 sacks.  Also, look out for early enrollment freshman Jarrett Jackson, who lit some people up in spring camp.

There are questions at LB as well, as only one of two return.Dorian Etheridge is back, and he led the team with 83 tackles last fall. He was just a freshman last season. Isaac Stewart, a senior, projects to start next to him. He finished with just 26 tackles in 11 games last season. London Iakopo, PJ Blue, and  CJ Avery will all be in the mix against Stewart in fall camp.

The secondary returns just 2 starters of 5 who finished the season in his role. Dee Smith is one returning starter, and will start at Safety. He totaled 53 tackles last fall, but is stronger against the run than the pass. Khane Pass is slated in at the other Safety, with TreSean Smith recovering from an injury. Marlon Character and Trenell Troutman arrive as freshmen in the fall, and could push for playing time.

The second returning starter is CB Russ Yeast, who played in 12 games as a freshman last season, ending the year as a starter. He is a developing talent who has much to show moving forward. PJ Mbanasor and Rodjay Burns project as the other starters at CB heading into the fall, but again, they could all be pushed.

Breakdown Special Teams: Blanton Creque had a big season as a sophomore, hitting 17/20 FG attempts. He returns to duty this fall.

Mason King was also largely successful as a sophomore at Punter, averaging 43.88 yards per punt last fall.

Seth Dawkins should be the primary KR man once again after averaging over 21 yards per return, while the PR job is open for competition in fall camp.

Final Analysis: With the torch passing to Pass at QB, we will see some different looks for this offense. With Petrino coaching him, it is certain that he should come along just fine, but the run game has to get sorted out early, as even with a talented receiver group, teams will not stay honest if the Cardinals cannot run, and the massive amounts of injury to an already thin unit did not look like a positive in spring camp. Defensively, there are more questions than answers up front, and the secondary has just as many questions for a unit that did not exactly stop anyone cold last fall. Petrino will have his hands full in fall camp, and while a bowl is likely, competing for the ACC title this season would be a miracle.