Louisville football opened up a handful of practices to the public this fall, and I was able to make it out on Saturday for their third practice and their first padded practice. Unfortunately, the 9:45 am start time will make this my only practice I can attend, but I tried to get as many notes as I possibly could.
There were not a lot of major changes from what we saw in the spring, which can be taken in different ways with what they added this summer. The offense won the day with their passing game,
but I thought the defensive front did well to stuff running lanes, and they had some plays where they would have gotten to the quarterback.
Below are some notes on what I saw on Saturday.
QUARTERBACKS
The QBs were the best group on the day with a consistent showing of nice throws to all areas of the field. Miller Moss rarely does anything that wows you, but he has been accurate and on time with his throws since he arrived on campus. I would imagine Jeff and Brian Brohm are honing the calls and plan around what Moss does best, which should be a bit different than last year, where Tyler Shough was allowed to be as aggressive as he wanted to be.
Deuce Adams has the best arm and the biggest upside of the quarterback group, but it still looks like a true battle for the backup position with Brady Allen. Adams has real zip on the ball and he has the aggressive mindset that Shough had when it comes to pushing the ball down the field. Add in his running ability, and I think that he can be the future at the position, even if there will be growing pains with him.
As for Allen, I think that he has improved tremendously since he arrived on campus. He finished the spring practice period very strong and he picked up where he left off. I think he has the inside track for the backup spot but I’d imagine that both guys would get a chance if they had a long-term need due to injury.
RUNNING BACK
There’s not much to learn with the running backs, as Isaac Brown is still super fast and Duke Watson could probably beat him in a foot race. Both players have added a little weight, but neither has added considerable bulk. With Brown having some nagging injuries last season, it’ll be something to note if that is an issue again this season.
Keyjuan Brown continues to look like a real option for the staff after a strong spring. He showed off better quickness and speed while continuing to carry good weight to be the power option for the group.
Jamarice Wilder is out with an injury, so Shaun Boykins has been working with the running back group so far this fall. Boykins looks much better than I expected, with fluid movements and good instincts as a runner. I honestly think that it’s where he belongs in comparison to how he looked as a receiver. I’m hopeful that he can find a home there.
RECEIVERS
As with the running backs, the top of the depth chart is set, and expectations are high. Chris Bell continues to look like a guy who could break out this year. He spent a little bit of time working in the slot during drills, which was a nice wrinkle to see.
Caullin Lacy is the lone guy on the field who looked “different” to me. I mean that in a good way. Lacy has a unique ability to be super smooth in all of his movements while also being twitchy and explosive with his cuts. He spent some time during practice taking straight handoffs in the backfield, which is a very intriguing change.
The number three spot appears to be Antonio Meeks’ to lose at this point. One of the first things I noticed was that Miller Moss was purposely getting reps with Meeks in drills early in practice. He would either swap out with the quarterback who was up or he would direct Meeks to the front of the line. Meeks looked the part, so I expect him to get plenty of run this year.
The other receivers didn’t show much outside of Kris Hughes, who I expect to have a role in the offense this year. Hughes made the biggest play of the day on a deep crossing route to the opposite hash from Deuce Adams. Hughes had three catches against Boston College last year in the only extended time that he had, but he made the plays when he had the opportunity. I think he just needs more of an opportunity.
The outside spots will be backed up by Dacari Collins and TreyShun Hurry. Both transfers have great size and looked good running routes in drills. However, neither of them stood out on this day. The depth was much needed, so I don’t have any issue with the staff bringing these guys in, and I’m still hopeful that they can make an impact this season.
From what I saw, I don’t know that any of the other guys in the group will have a big role in the offense, but Bobby Golden and Brock Coffman made a nice impression. Coffman is green as a freshman, but he made one of the best plays of the day on a deep throw in traffic from Adams.
TIGHT ENDS
I think that the tight end group is the most interesting group on the team with all of the movement from the spring. Jacob Stewart comes in from San Jose State with a lot of experience under his belt, but he seems to be buried behind the guys returning from last year. Nate Kurisky continues to be the first guy up at practice, and Jaleel Skinner is the next guy up with some sets where he is split out in the slot.
Harrison Atkins is a guy who looked very good in the spring and is carving out a role this fall. He appears to be the next man up at fullback when they deploy that set, and Atkins also got some run with the first team in some segments.
The other guys to get some run were Dylan Mesman, who was the third tight end up in most segments, and Davon Mitchell, who seems to be the last man up. Mesman is another guy that I think just needs a chance, but we’ll have to see if he gets that chance. Mitchell is a massive dude. You can’t help but notice how his frame is different than the others. While most of these guys are tall and long, Mitchell is a big body who could find himself as an option in heavy sets.
OFFENSIVE LINE
As always, it’s tough to learn a lot about the offensive line in practice, but we at least got some insight on the depth chart. Trevonte Sylvester didn’t practice today so we’ll have to see who the tackles are but it seems like the other spots may be set.
Mohammed Moussa and Rasheed Miller started at the tackle spots with Pete Nygra back in the middle at center. Lance Robinson and Jordan Church were at the guard spots, but Naeer Jackson should be able to battle for the right guard spot after a strong spring. I’m not sure if he’s healthy or not, but I didn’t see him on the field, though he was dressed out.
As for depth, I think the Cards are in good shape if they’re healthy. Carter Guillaume was the second center up with Makaylan Pounders and Michael Flores as options at tackle and guard, respectively. Vic Cutler is also a solid depth piece with positional flexibility. If this group is healthy, they should be able to round into shape before the schedule gets tough.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Louisville will have a lot of newcomers up front on the defensive side of the ball, based on what I saw at practice. Denzel Lowry has been a mainstay in the middle since spring practice started and that continued into the fall. Rene Konga has been running with the second group and I’m very interested to see how the nose tackle spot performs as these two rotate.
Jordan Geruad is healthy this fall, and he should be the key player in the group this season. He was expected to have an impact last year, but injuries slowed him down. He’s a player who will have to make disruptive plays inside for the defense to reach its potential.
AJ Green and Wesley Bailey are manning the spots on the edges, and Green had a few pass rush wins in the team segments that would have been sacks or pressures. Bailey has been able to hold off Clev Lubin on the first team, which is a bit of a surprise with how productive Lubin was at Coastal Carolina. I still hope that we’ll see Lubin in on packages as a pass rusher. They have to find a way to replace what they lost last year, and he is their best bet.
Selah Brown was limping around and didn’t practice from what I saw, but I’m really hopeful he’s good to go when the season starts. He looked really good in the spring. Jerry Lawson is the other inside lineman who got a lot of run with the second group. Justin Beadles ran with the second group throughout all practice. Micah Carter is the one guy I expected to see, but I didn’t see him in the team segments. It’s possible I missed him, as I did see him dressed out.
LINEBACKERS
With Stanquan Clark back from what looks like a shoulder injury, the linebacker group seemed to finally be back to full strength. However, Khalib Perry suffered a hand injury off the field that kept him out of anything but drills.
The remainder of the group looked the part with TJ Quinn and TJ Capers taking most of the first team snaps. Clark rotated in with Capers, with Trent Carter sliding in with the second group as well.
The defense didn’t have a great day against the pass, and this group was a part of that. The middle of the field was wide open for the quarterbacks to pick apart all day long. It was a major issue last season, and with no changes with the personnel or scheme, it’s the very first thing on my list of what to look out for with the defense this year.
Antonio Watts finally has a backup, and it is Nigel Williams, who recently transferred in. Williams did slide back to safety on one particular play, which makes me think that he will give Ron English some flexibility when he’s in the game.
SECONDARY
The biggest question mark on the team right now is the secondary overall and the cornerback spots, specifically. Rodney Johnson continued at his spot as the boundary corner with Jabari Mack shooting up the depth chart to take the other spot. Mack wasn’t even running with the second group in the spring so this was a surprise for me. He made one of the only plays on the ball that I saw, so I’ll take that as a sign that he’s earned the spot.
Raemon Mosby is running with the second group opposite Tayon Holloway, who just returned to the team. Mosby looked good in the spring, so I think it’s fair to say that Steve Ellis has a two-deep he can work with. Throw in Antonio Harris, who continues to play aggressively and competently in coverage, and he has to feel better than he did going into the spring.
Safety is solid with DeAngelo Hutchinson and Jojo Evans looking good on the back end. Deah McCullough seems set with the second group, while Corey Gordon and Micah Rice split reps with the second team. Blake Ruffin looks like the last man up, but it stood out to me that he spent about half an hour after practice working on technique with Holloway.
SPECIAL TEAMS
I will admit that I didn’t pay much attention to the special teams, but I will say that they spent more time on special teams in this practice than I have seen from this staff before. Carter Shwartz should continue on as the starting punter after a great bowl game performance.
As for the kicker position, it looks to me that it is Nick Keller’s job to lose. Cooper Ranvier should provide a good challenge as well as a backup option for him. I’m also intrigued to see if Carson Hilbert gets a chance to kick in any of the potential blowout games this year. I think he has high upside.
The returners weren’t too surprising, with Lacy being the first man up. Chris Bell and Isaac Brown also look like options, while Bobby Golden should be the top option behind Lacy. I didn’t get to see the kick return unit, but Lacy seems to be the best bet after his showing in limited opportunities last year.
NOTES
I can’t help but make some observations while I watch practice so I thought I’d throw them together.
- Ron English went off on the entire secondary after practice with the repeated theme being “finish the play”. English wasn’t happy with his guys letting up before the play was over and expressed this thought a handful of times during the practice. I would agree with him based on what I saw.
- Chris Bell and Antonio Meeks stayed well after practice, working on technique and catching balls from the JUGS machine.
- Michael Flores was the last player to leave the field after about 45 minutes or so, working on technique with a coach and then by himself.
- Steve Ellis ran the secondary through wide receiver hands drills after practice with Brady Allen as the QB. He had them focusing on catching the ball with his hands.
- Chris Barclay had Braxton Jennings doing a modified form of “up downs” after practice as he fumbled during a team period.
- Deion Branch and Pete Notcha spent about 30-40 minutes talking to scouts after practice. The Ravens, Bears, Colts, and another team were represented.
- I happened to be standing next to Cameron Gorin’s dad, and he is somehow bigger than his son. The other offensive linemen came over as they left practice to share some nice words about Cam with his family. The camaraderie of football is something that I think is extremely underrated.
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