Louisville Football Releases Online Media Guide and Depth Chart

The Louisville Football program released their annual media guide online today and among all of the team information was a depth chart. The team did the same last year and there were a few minor surprises on the list. Yasir Abdullah not being listed at all seemed to be the main thing people noticed.

When the depth chart was released before the Notre Dame game, we all learned that plenty could change in a short time. Javian Hawkins was a surprise starter at running back. Dayna Kinnaird would be listed as a starter over Amonte Caban. There was also a lot of movement when it came to who was listed as backups as well as where they were listed. So, we should all keep that in mind when reading this depth chart that has a significant amount of freshmen listed who have not even practiced yet.

Some observations:

• Jawon Pass is listed as the backup after Franke Ponce recently listed Micale Cunningham as QB1a and Pass as QB1b. Personally, I think that the job would have to be lost by Cunningham for Pass to get his starting spot back. I don’t foresee that happening. I do think that they want to ensure they they have four guys in the QB room this year and Pass getting a true shot to win his job back is the best way to do that.
• Trevor Reid will likely get a shot to win the starting right tackle job but it’s nice seeing four guys who should be able to handle things at the tackle spots. Fixing the depth is still a work in progress but I’m not sure they could have done better at the tackle spots.
• Luke Kandra will probably see the field a good amount this year. He shouldn’t have any problem sliding into a starting role when his time comes. They’re young in the middle behind the starters but Kandra, Black, and Gregory make up a solid group if they end up being the backups.
• They don’t have the “HB” spot listed anymore but I would imagine the depth chart will progress from last year with Ford and Isaac Martin at HB and Pfieffer and Dez Melton at the Y spot.
• I’ve said it a few times this spring and summer that the defensive line will be improved. I still feel that way but I think it will be more about the versatility of the group than the guys at the top of the depth chart. Goldwire could have a big year and Peterson should be improved with a little more size and a year at the spot.
• I’m more excited about Diaby, Boykin, and Zach Edwards. Those guys should be better pass rushers and should give Mark Ivey a better rotation. Throw in Clark and Bryant for depth and you have some options to work with. Kinnaird and dorsey have the size that they need to play the strong side and hold their ground. This group will be the key if we hope to see the defense improve as a whole.
• Louisville is in good shape at linebacker. We’ll know if the scheme “sinking in” is real or not if these guys all show out.
• We will see a lot of Vance, Lowery, and/or Jamel Starks this year. Chandler Jones is set to have a big year and they have options across the field. But they need the young guys to step up and play in packages or to just give guys a rest.
• Lovie Jenkins is the freshman I’m most excited about on defense when it comes to his early impact. Louisville played an extra safety a lot last year. I think Jenkins could see a role there.
• Isaiah Hayes could be a major factor replacing Khane Pass. He’s more athletic and did some nice things at Arizona before he transferred. Pass’ value was as a leader and as a coach on the field. Hayes or Yeast have to be able to take on that role.
• The kicking game will be a mystery until the first game but Louisville has a high school All-American and a JUCO All-American to compete with the guys from last year. Things could be worse.
• There are a lot of freshmen/newcomers listed and even though things will change a bit before the first game, we’ll likely see all of the guys on defense this season. This goes back to the lack of depth that the staff inherited. They also had a good amount of key guys that happened to be veterans. So young guys will have to contribute in some way.
• Two guys that I’ve noticed are no longer on the roster are Wide Receiver Chris Taylor-Yamanoha and Defensive Lineman Caleb Tillman. P.J. Blue also posted a tweet yesterday that implied that he is no longer with the team. His Twitter bio also lists him as a “former” Louisville athlete.