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A few days ago Justin reached out and asked if I could put all of my previews in one spot and it sparked a good idea. I would put them all in one place with a little update on anything that happened during camp. So below we have all of the position previews with the buzz out of camp and practice.
The Buzz: There was talk early on in camp that JUCO transfer Brock Domann looked better than Evan Conley and would likely surpass him as the primary backup to Malik Cunningham. Scott Satterfield ended up putting that rumor to bed when he spoke glowingly of Conley’s camp performance. As of now, it looks like Conley will be the guy behind Cunningham at the start of the season.
Another note is that T.J. Lewis has moved to Wide Receiver but will still work with the Quarterbacks. This was said to be the plan when he committed as his athleticism would likely get him on the field in some way early on. We will have to wait to see if he sees the field or not.
The Buzz: Trevion Cooley has been talked about so much that I am starting to wonder if he sees the field very early on and splits carries as a backup. Hassan Hall is supposedly back to his 2019 form but Hall only averaged 4.6 yards per carry that year. The staff may view Cooley more favorably at this point.
The Buzz: Not much has changed over the last handful of weeks but Scott Satterfield and Gunter Brewer have really driven home the point that they will be using a committee approach until someone separates themself.
Amari Huggins-Bruce has been the one guy who has gotten some specific call-outs from the coaches. He is one of the few guys on the roster that seems to have a special skill set.
The Buzz: Marshon Ford is the only player that has been talked about much. I still stand by my prediction that Dez Melton will have a breakout year.
The Buzz: The depth is all the talk out of camp. This group has been said to have six starters and eight guys who can play. They should be in really good shape going into the season.
One thing that has stood out to me is the lack of talk about Trevor Reid since camp started. UofL also posted a practice picture this past weekend with Michael Gonzalez at Left Tackle with the first group. As much as they’ve talked about him since the winter, it wouldn’t be completely shocking if he ends up as the starter.
The Buzz: Dayna Kinnaird will supposedly miss some time with an injury but the depth of the line is still solid. Yaya Diaby and Ashton Gillotte have gotten the most praise but Malik Clark is a guy that multiple coaches have mentioned over the last few weeks.
Ramon Puryear earned a scholarship at the end of fall camp after two years of being a contributor. Puryear could end up as the starter at one Defensive End spot.
I’ve also heard that Jacques Turner has played well so far and Mark Ivey has said that he feels like he has three guys at Nose Tackle who could start.
The Buzz: The big talk out of camp is the fact that Nick Okeke is playing three different Linebacker spots. That’s a positive as Okeke is known as one of the smartest players as it comes to football IQ. He also has great size and length and he will give the coaches some versatility to work with.
Jack Fagot seems to have separated himself from Marvin Dallas at the Card position. Personally, I’m interested to see if Okeke plays the Card on early downs to help against the run.
The freshman Linebackers have gotten a lot of attention from the coaches. Jaylin Alderman ran with the first group some and Jackson Hamilton has been mentioned a good amount. Combine that with TJ Quinn running with the second group and these guys have obviously had a substantial camp.
The Buzz: Greedy Vance has been said to have had a very good camp as he has gotten more first-team reps with Chandler Jones spending some time at Safety.
Kani Walker seems to be the freshman getting the most attention from coaches. I would still be very surprised if Trey Franklin isn’t the first guy up behind the top three guys. Bryan Brown has been said to be really happy with the JUCO transfer.
The Buzz: Louisville lost a guy that I was really excited about in Bralyn Oliver. That leaves Louisville in a spot where Josh Minkins has to be able to play fairly soon. Minkins has been practicing in an orange jersey as he recovers from an injury.
“Q” Cole has passed Ben Perry on the depth chart at Strong Safety. Cole has impressed the coaches with his work ethic and he seems to have transitioned well after being on campus for a short time. Perry has had some freshman struggles but should be on the field plenty.
The Buzz: Scott Satterfield practically giggled when he talked about Mark Vassett’s range and hang time.
I failed to mention Mitch Hall in the preview which was a big oversight by me. Louisville should be much better in the kicking game this year and part of that is due to Mitch Hall being so consistent with his snaps.