The Cardinal Countdown: 65 Days Until Kickoff

#65 Ronald Rudd

Class: RS Senior

Ht/Wt: 6-5/341

Position: Offensive Line

Hometown: Rialto, CA

Twitter: @bigtymeballa000

Thoughts: The Cards grabbed Rudd a couple years ago off the JUCO market and his size alone turned some heads and raised some eyebrows. The 6-5, 341lb lineman on paper could just stand up, show off his wingspan, and without twitching a muscle provide 3-4 seconds of protection. He was a big boost for a line that was losing a few starters in 2017 and many viewed him as an instant contributor. Well, as they say, they don’t play the games on paper. Not to “bring up old stuff” but his physical presence in 2017 was not where it needed to be to play at the D-I level, as Petrino said his athleticism was being hidden due to poor conditioning. So 2017 was a bit of a wash but Summers seemed encouraged heading into last year that he would get some reps and help contribute….ummm, not so much.

Rudd appeared in one game last year (GT) and struggled to sniff the field the majority of the season. It’s frustrating as a fan seeing someone with that size and strength not get an opportunity but I had faith that Summers and the offensive staff had better insight than me. As we roll into a new season Rudd gets to turn the page as a player and the staff gets to see him perform for the first time. Can Ledford mold Rudd into an All-American in one year? I wouldn’t go that far, but he without question can work with him to get Ronald in a position where he can see action every single week and help spell some of those bodies up front. Rudd has some flexibility when it comes to positions, having played tackle in the JUCO ranks he could help provide some assistance opposite Becton. Having the freedom to bookend your O-line with 6-7/369 and 6-5/341 sounds like solid plan to me, but once again, we have to see Rudd take that next step. A second chance to reintroduce yourself as a football player doesn’t always happen, and players like Rudd will hopefully look at the new staff as a clean slate, and do what is necessary and expected to get on the field. There is no doubt in my mind he can help Louisville this year, but I’m not the one he has to convince.

Sweet Tweet:

It’s not New Years but tomorrow is the last day in June, which means we’re one day from July, which means we’re only one month away from August, which means fall camp is right around the corner, which means a Top 10 team is walking into our stadium before we know it. 4th of July, trips to the lake, camping trips, weekend cokouts...there are plenty of opportunities for you to do something dumb and prevent yourself from seeing the Satterfield era kickoff in a mere 65 days.

Ya’ll be safe out there in them streets, indeed.