#3 Pat Thomas
Class: RS Sophomore
Ht/Wt: 6-4/190
Position: Wide Receiver
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Twitter: @3_Clutch
Thoughts: Pat Thomas was a UAB commit out of JUCO and followed Coach McGee to the Cards last season. Thomas was a successful QB on the JUCO level who showed flashes of solid play at the position but excelled for the most part by simply being one of, if not the most, athletic players on the field. Thomas played sparingly during the spring at Quarterback and the coaches realized that with the addition of a healthy Will Gardner and true freshman Lamar Jackson in the fall, his talents would be better utilized at a different position. I’m not sure how they made the final decision to move Pat to wide receiver but most experts agree the initial discussion occurred strictly due to my suggestion of the move last year at this time. (may or may not be 100% true)
Since Pat has moved to wideout he has without a doubt seen the field more and will have a much better opportunity to get some PT this season. The addition of some other transfers with size (Staples, Savage, Carter) and some true freshman with height (Spence, Smith, Peete) sets the Cards up nicely on the outside with multiple "large frames", including Pat, who can go up and get the ball. Lots of people who went out to the open practices in the fall commented on Thomas’ performance, saying he appeared to play well at the new position and looked fairly comfortable catching the ball away from his body and running routes. Not sure how the depth at wide receiver plays out this year but I’d expect Thomas to get some looks as the season wears on.
Sweet Tweet:
A Town I missed you!
— Pat Thomas (@3_Clutch) March 13, 2015
Don’t worry Pat, Cards set up a real nice homecoming for you in about 3 Days.
"A Town hats and A Town jerseys…watch them A Town boys they play the game dirty…"
#3 Cornelius Sturghill
Class: RS Freshman
Ht/Wt: 5-11/186
Position: Cornerback
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Twitter: @boomane_6
Thoughts: Sturghill was a great grab last season for Louisville, beating out the likes of Wisconsin, Mizzou, and Mississippi State among others. Coming into Louisville Sturghill was looked at as a wideout who could potentially flip to defense if necessary since he played both sides of the ball in high school. After a redshirt last year under a very deep receiving group the coaches decided to give him a shot on the defensive side of the ball and he played very well during spring camp and in the spring game, which included an interception. Once huge advantage for Cornelius is that his experience at wide receiver helps him understand routes and positioning and it allows him to place himself in a location where he has a greater chance to affect the play. Grantham has praised his speed, his ability to play the ball and his physicality saying he’s not afraid to tackle anyone. As a redshirt freshman we should expect Sturghill to play a supporting role this year in the secondary, but yesterdays depth chart has him as an "or" at the starting strongside corner position along with Washington and Culver...you can read into that however you like.
I think Shaq and Tru are the starters with Jaire and Reve being the first two off the bench when we go to nickel package. With that said, Sturghill and Culver will both play a decent amount this season and will be relied upon to help carry the load on what is expected to be one of the best defenses in the country.
Sweet Tweet:
I eat Taco Bell mostly every night
— Cornelius Sturghill (@boomane_6) July 29, 2015
Could pan out as a decent strategy when trying to win that starting corner gig. I’ve seen some 4.3 speed and some damn good reaction time due to the aftermath of a late night ‘run to the border’. I like where your head is at Sturghill. Maybe stick with the ‘Nutrition Plan’ on Gameday though; you don’t want to accidentally ‘uncage’ something come mid 3rd quarter.