The Cardinal Countdown: 15 Days Until Kickoff

#15 Quen Head

Class: Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-2/205

Position: Linebacker

Hometown: Forsyth, GA

Twitter: @quen_42

Thoughts: Quen Head was a nice addition out of JUCO last year, a Top 100 player nationally and a Top 20 player out of Georgia in high school. Head played in 12 games last year and looks to be backing up Rodjay Burns at the “Card” position (Outside backer) heading into the fall.

Head has good size and can close well on the ball in space. I think Burns has a lock on that spot right now but Brown asks a lot from that position and Head could be a great player to offer supplemental support or play a secondary role. While Head may not be a household name right now his play will be crucial in helping the Cards improve on the defensive side of the ball. Burns can’t play every defensive down and they need a guy to step in with very little drop off that can cover a guy out of the slot, cover a tight end, attack the running back, and occasionally rush the passer. Head has the potential to do all four and I’d expect him to get more reps in 2019.

Sweet Tweet:

Agreed. Some of these “position posters” the graphic department has released this summer are pretty tough locking.

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#15 Jalen Mitchell

Class: Freshman

Ht/Wt: 5-10/215

Position: Running Back

Hometown: Southwest Brevard, FL

Twitter: @whoisjalen

Thoughts: If you want a peek into the future of the Louisville offense take a look at Jalen Mitchell. The slightly smaller Mitchell is extremely “shifty” and has good speed in open space. Once the staff identified what Mitchell could do, and how he could fit into the program, they placed a target on him and snatched him up in a fairly short time frame. Mitchell is another one of those players they were able to get on campus, show him what the program had to offer, and then shortly thereafter get the commitment. The Cards beat out Kentucky, Purdue, and ACC foes Virginia and Virginia Tech among others for Jalen’s services.

You can watch the tape below and see some of the weapons Jalen brings to the table. The patience he has to watch the play develop is nice to see, but the acceleration in open space as I mentioned above makes him a threat on multiple levels (offense, special teams, etc) I don’t anticipate us seeing Mitchell much, if at all, in 2019 since he’d likely be fourth or fifth on the depth chart but he could be a real nice piece of the running back group in years to come.

Sweet Tweet:

Know what water is.....tackling fuel. Also, Captain Insano shows no mercy.