Friday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—Spread check: Offseason by 52 days.

—A total of 10 current or former U of L athletes are headed to Tokyo for The Olympics.

—Scott Satterfield went on The Jim Rome Show Thursday and talked a little bit about opening the season against Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss.

You can hear the full interview here.

—Louisville’s Makenli Forrest (track and field) and Meghan Schneider (field hockey) have been selected as nominees for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

—Sports Gambling Podcast predicts Louisville football to win fewer than 6.5 games this season.

The Cardinals return 8 starters on offense including the dynamic Malik Cunningham at QB. While the dual threat QB is a human highlight reel, he was also responsible for 15 turnovers last season. It goes without saying that he needs to be more careful with the ball this year.

Louisville needs to replace a bunch of skill position guys that are now in the NFL but Jalen Mitchell and Hassan Hall should step right up at RB. Restocking the WR position may be more of a challenge but let’s see what Georgia Southern transfer Shai Werts (previously played QB) can bring to the team. Upfront, four offensive lineman which will certainly help.

Satterfield’s gang is going to have to score some points because the defense could be iffy. The DL should be solid but the linebacker and defensive back positions will be very young and inexperienced. Expect some struggles especially early on vs explosive offenses like Ole Miss and UCF.

Speaking of Louisville’s opponents this season, the Cardinals decided to really challenge themselves outside of the league. They play Ole Miss at a neutral site and get Eastern Kentucky, UCF, and their annual game vs Kentucky at home. Not many teams in the country play three out of conference games against teams like that. Best case scenario probably has Louisville 2-2 here.

In conference, Louisville is fortunate to get UVA and Duke from the Coastal. Plus, UVA is a home game and traveling to Duke is never a daunting task (half the stadium will be fans of the road team). Hitting the Over might come down to consecutive road trips at FSU and at Wake. Win both and Louisville has a shot. Drop one and we may be looking at a 6-6 season. Louisville will get to a bowl but it may be by the skin of their teeth – give me the Under.

My Prediction: UNDER

—Male High football star Selah Brown is preparing for his college commitment.

—Kevin Obanor, the star of Oral Roberts’ improbable NCAA tournament run, is headed to Texas Tech.

—I really, really like Tae Davis’ game.

—Class of 2023 shooting guard Maki Johnson out of Huntington Prep talks about finally getting to play in front of Chris Mack.

—JaVale McGee and Keldon Johnson joining Team USA is sure to fix all of the squad’s current issues.

—French big man Yohan Traore, who recently picked up a Louisville offer, has been putting on a show recently.

It was there he matched against five-star big man Kijani Wright, who is ranked 10th in his class by 247Sports. Rankings would have been foreign to Traore a year ago, but he was very aware Wright was ranked much higher than him — he’s currently No. 72 — and he appeared on a mission to make a point. Minutes into the game, Traore found himself with the ball on the right wing and Wright in a stance in front of him. Traore drove left, then spun around Wright, finishing with a righty scoop at the bucket. Traore would go on to put on a show, scoring 18 points by halftime of an 84-71 win. If he was trying to make a point, it landed.

Asked a day later about his favorite moment during his rise this spring and summer, Traore said, “The game against Compton Magic, because I played against somebody ranked higher than me. I did good.”

If there’s a reason for a midsummer edit of the rankings, it would be Traore. Any college coach who watched him in Alabama will tell you he was the best player at the event, which included five-stars Chris Livingston, Keyonte George and Wright, who are all ranked in the top 10 of their class.

“A dominant force,” one college coach told The Athletic. “There are certain guys that are like three-star, four-star guys, and then you see them for the first time and all of a sudden they move up a star because they give you that wow factor when you see them. I thought Johan did that this past weekend.”

—Cardinal Authority lists some basketball recruits from the class of 2024 to keep an early eye on.

—The Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training soccer complex is now open.

—This video commemorating Henry Davis’ big night is superb.

—Louisville DB target Jordan Allen will be announcing his college decision Saturday at 1 p.m.

—From a young age, Jack Bickell Jr. knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps.

—Vince Tyra appears to confirm here that Russ Smith will become the fifth Louisville basketball player to have his jersey retired.

—U of L volleyball has landed a commitment from Kamden Schrand out of Notre Dame Academy.

—Louisville Report takes an updated look at the U of L men’s basketball roster for 2021-22.

—Friday Irrelevance:

—The big news around here 10 years ago? Bowling Green offensive lineman Joe Manley committed to Louisville and Kyle Kuric was riding dolphins.

—And finally, the late John Asher is among six people who will comprise the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame class of 2021.