The Cardinal Countdown: 86 Days Until Kickoff

#86 Devante Peete

Class: Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-6/210

Position: Wide Reciever

Hometown: Pompano Beach, FL

Twitter: @dp5_MT

Thoughts: One of the fun games to play every year is to study the incoming class or the freshman class and try and figure out which wideouts aren’t quite ready for the “big time” as a starting receiver and then try and project which one of them will become a stud on special teams while he waits for his moment. I thought Peete would actually be the beneficiary of a more polished Lamar and a more polished offense last season, expecting Petrino to utilize his height in redzone situations or deep balls when the time was right. Instead, what we saw was the offensive production from Peete decline (4 rec/70yds) from the year prior while his role as a special teams players became almost irreplaceable. Peete was highlighted by Petrino, and coach Tony Grantham as a Special Teams standout, grabbing 10 tackles and getting a push in the middle when asked too, even using his 6-6 frame to get his hand on one in the Wake Forest game (1:23 below) when we needed a boost…

(Thanks to ‘House of Cards’ for the video)

As I’ve highlighted the last two days, the Cards have what I consider racks on racks on racks of talented wide receivers this year and getting into the heavy rotation will be a challenge for Peete, but if he can maintain his consistency as a special teams player his role on the team is just as prominent, if not more so, than that of a #3 or #4 wideout. It doesn’t get headlines in the Courier and rarely makes the ‘Tweetcap’, but special teams play will be vital to the success of the Cards this year, just as it is every season. Look for Peete to continue playing well with the ‘third phase’ and grab a few balls from Lamar/Puma when the opportunity calls.

Sweet Tweet:

For a long time Louisville fans on twitter were a little frustrated with the lack of a ‘Cardinal’ emoji, forcing recruits and players to use a damn chicken when talking about UofL. It was pretty crazy that a kid could post an elephant emoji, a burrito emoji, or an emoji of a literal pile of poop, but we couldn’t get a freaking Cardinal, a state bird to seven US states, mind you. WTF?

Over time though, I think the Cards in the twittersphere have now grown to appreciate the chicken and seem to have accepted it into the lore of Cardinal fandom. As we stroll down the aisles of ‘Cardinal past’ I hope to see the chicken emoji right along with the smell of caramel corn, party decks, and ‘Go Cards, Beat Purdue’….might want to break that one out in about 86 days or so.