The Cardinal Countdown: 13 Days Until Kickoff

#13 P.J. Blue

Class: RS Sophomore

Ht/Wt: 6-3/217

Position: Linebacker

Hometown: Jemison, AL

Twitter: @Ocho_Blu8

Thoughts: Just like every mother lies about loving their kids equally (except Mrs. CardinalStrong, of course) every Card fan lies to him or herself a little if they “cheer for every player equally”. We’re fans. We’re allowed to have favorites and give an extra fist pump if ‘our guy’ makes a play. For me personally, I’ll be giving my extra fist pump to one Mr. PJ Blue in 2018. Blue, in my opinion, is a hell of a football player that the Cards stole away from some top tier programs and has just been beaten up with injuries since walking on campus. Back in 2016 I was giddy with what I thought Blue would turn into on defense and called for him to be a team captain and all-conference type player by 2019 (so you’re saying there’s a chance). While that astronomic rise may not occur in one season, he still has the potential to be great player in the three years he has left.

After battling a shoulder injury his redshirt year Blue popped an ACL last year in Spring ball and didn’t get to play at all during the 2017 season. The staff moved Blue to linebacker not long ago and the position change seems to have done wonders for Blue’s confidence and (fingers crossed) his ability to remain healthy. Adding over 20lbs to his frame since arriving on campus certainly helped with the move but Petrino said back in June Blue was still playing at full speed almost all Spring and he was really impressing the staff with his ability to cover large areas of the field and get to the ball the fast.

It may sound crazy for a young man who has played zero snaps at Louisville his third year in the program and is also transitioning to a new position on the field, but I think Blue earns a starting spot at linebacker within the first few games. Everything I’ve read/seen over the last 4 months is that Blue is killing it out there and the talent that made him a Top 10 player in the state of Alabama out of high school is showing up in big ways. A player like Blue, who’s fought with injuries for two plus seasons, has the tendency to fade away in the mind of fans as new players emerge. I have a sneaking suspicion that PJ will reintroduce himself to the fanbase in a big way this season…giving you a reason to cheer just a little bit harder for him each week. It’s okay, I won’t tell.

Sweet Tweet:

Deeper than a slice of Giordano’s. Go do work young bull.