Burning Summer Questions for Louisville's Position Groups (2024)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As we head into the second year of the Jeff Brohm era of the Louisville football program, there is a lot of hype surrounding the Cardinals, but also some questions to go along with it. Can the team make a return trip to the ACC Championship Game? How will they fair against a tougher schedule?

While these are questions that have to do with the team as a whole, today, we will be taking each of Louisville's position groups, and looking at a top question/storyline regarding it as we progress through the summer and into the 2024 season.

Quarterbacks: Can Tyler Shough stay healthy for the entire season?

This might be the single-biggest question surrounding the Cardinals heading into the 2024 season. When on the field, Texas Tech/Oregon transfer Tyler Shough has been dynamic with both his arm and his legs. In 26 combined career games with the Ducks and Red Raiders, he completed 63.2 percent of his throws for 4,625 yards and 36 touchdowns to 17 interceptions, along with 714 yards and 10 scores on the ground. This skill set was on full display in spring ball, and he was unquestionably better than every other QB on the roster. But in each of his three seasons at Texas Tech, he suffered a major injury - two broken collarbones and a broken fibula. Louisville's staff determined that this was more so due to sheer bad luck than actually being injury prone, but still, one can't help but wonder if Shough will be able to play the entire season.

Running Backs: How much will the running game be impacted with the departures of Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo?

In a bit of a surprise turn of events, Louisville's offense was powered by a prolific ground game. Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo combined for 2,418 yards from scrimmage and 25 touchdowns, which was roughly half of the entire offensive output for the Cardinals. However, both running backs are now in the NFL starting their professional careers. As a result, the running back spot for Louisville isn't as proven as it was this time last year. Both Maurice Turner and Miami transfer Donald Chaney Jr. have had plenty of good moments, but neither have extensive experience as feature backs. Additionally, Keyjuan Brown doesn't have much collegiate experience at all, and Isaac Brown and Duke Watson are incoming true freshmen. Turner, Chaney and Isaac Brown all looked good in the spring, but time will tell if they can collectively be as productive in the ground game as Jordan and Guerendo were last season.

Wide Receivers: Can the position as a whole be more consistent when generating separation?

Part of the reason why Louisville's passing attack was a bit underwhelming last season was because of the lack of a consistent option at the wide receiver position behind Jamari Thrash. This was mainly because, outside of Thrash, the position as a whole seemed to struggle greatly when it came to getting separation needed to actually make a catch. While Thrash is now in the NFL, wide receiver does seem to be in a better spot at the top. Alabama transfer Ja'Corey Brooks and South Alabama transfer Caullin Lacy both looked great in spring ball, especially the latter, and Chris Bell - based on his own spring ball performance - seems primed for a breakout style campaign. There might not be a wideout on the roster as good as Thrash was (at least right now), but it appears that there are more reliable options across the board this season compared to last.

Tight Ends: Can the revamped tight end room help elevate the offense to what is normally expected from a Jeff Brohm-led team?

As evidenced by players like Tyler Higbee, Brycen Hopkins and Payne Durham at Jeff Brohm's prior stops, a go-to tight end plays a very important role in how efficient the passing game can be in Brohm's system. However, the position was almost a non-factor when it came to the passing attack, as tight ends last season combined for just 35 receptions for 377 yards and five touchdowns. Because of this, tight end was a spot that Brohm focused on in the portal. Mark Redman has been one of the best tight ends in the Mountain West, and Jaleel Skinner is a super athletic and versatile option with loads of potential. On top of that, Jamari Johnson put together a really good spring, and Nate Kurisky seemed to find his stride as a pass catcher towards the end of the 2023 season. Louisville has the horses this season for tight end to be a factor in the passing game, they just have to go out there and do it.

Offensive Line: Will the run blocking take a needed step forward?

Last season, the basic stats show that Louisville's offensive line did okay in one regard, but lagged behind in another. Their 5.29 tackles for loss allowed ranked 51st in the then-130 teams in the FBS, but their 2.29 sacks allowed per game came in at 84th nationally. However, the advanced stats (and film) paint a slightly different story. The sack numbers were partially a byproduct of having a far less mobile quarterback, which shouldn't be an issue with Shough. Then with the run blocking, the proficiency from Jordan and Guerendo appeared to mask the fact that Louisville's run blocking wasn't as good as we thought. According to Pro Football Focus, the Cardinals' run-blocking grade of 58.0 ranked 86th in the FBS. Brohm and Co. did a good job at re-stocking the line through the portal to replace the starters that graduated, and does retain a pair of longtime veterans in Michael Gonzalez and Renato Brown, but Louisville must get better at run blocking. Especially since Jordan and Guerendo have moved on.

Defensive Line:Will the line be more consistent at the point of attack?

This question is not to discount the efforts that Louisville got out of their defensive line and front seven as a whole. It was the reason that the Cardinals were as impactful as they were on that side of the ball, finishing with the No. 9 rushing defense (99.8 rushing yards allowed per game) and the No. 21 defense (317.1 yards allowed per game) overall. That being said, it's undeniable that the defensive line didn't seem to get the same push at the line of scrimmage over the final month that they did in the first two months. After holding teams to 88.8 rushing yards and collecting 2.56 sacks per game over the first nine games, Louisville allowed 119.6 rushing yards and generated 2.2 sacks over the final five games. With the amount of talent and production the Cardinals both return and brought in via the portal, they still have the makings of one of the best D-lines in the ACC, if not all of the FBS. They just need to maintain their high level impact over the course of the entire season.

Linebackers: Can the position be more of a factor in pass coverage?

The linebacking corps looked much better than expected last season, and along with the defensive line, played a massive role in producing one of the top run defenses in college football. T.J. Quinn was *the* breakout player last season and led the team in tackles, Stanquan Clark looked fantastic in spurts as a true freshman, and Benjamin Perry was the defensive X-Factor at STAR. But if there was any weakness amongst the position last season, is was their efforts in pass coverage. While they were phenomenal against the run, when they dropped back, they were hit-or-miss when it came to dropping back in coverage. The position as a whole seemed to to improve in this area in spring ball, but they will have to carry this momentum into fall camp to help become a more complete defense.

Cornerbacks: Who wins the battle to start alongside Quincy Riley?

Getting back defensive end Ashton Gillotte was a massive win for Louisville, but bringing back cornerback Quincy Riley was just as big of a deal. He's one of the most underrated defensive backs in the ACC, and has All-American potential heading into the 2024 season. But with Jarvis Brownlee Jr. off to the NFL, someone new will be taking on a permanent starting role at corner. During the spring window, Brohm brought in a trio of transfers - Corey Thornton, Tahveon Nicholson and Tayon Holloway - with all three greatly impressing the defensive coaching staff in spring ball. Additionally, Aaron Williams looked extremely impressive in his first healthy spring earlier this year. Louisville has great depth at corner, and figuring out who to start alongside RIley is a good problem to have,

Safeties: Will M.J. Griffin be just as impactful as he was pre-injury?

It was a massive blow losing M.J. Griffin for the season due to a lower leg injury during fall camp last year. In 2022, he played a massive role in Louisville's defensive turnaround, finishing with 45 tackles, two interception and a forced fumble while only seeing meaningful playtime in eight games. His presence helped the Cardinals significantly cut down on the amount of big plays they were giving up that year. But when Griffin does return this season, there won't help but be some thoughts on if he will be the same player. There are plenty of stories out there of football players bouncing back with no problem after significant injury, but are also plenty of instances where it's obvious they aren't quite what they used to be. Fortunately, Brohm noted earlier this year that Griffin's rehab was ahead of schedule, and we should see in fall camp if he is still the same player he was in 2022.

(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Sam Upshaw Jr. - Courier Journal / USA)