The Cardinal Countdown: 68 Days Until Kickoff

2021 Season Recap: While a promising Spring raised some eyebrows I was a bit skeptical the true freshman Gonzalez was going to see significant reps on a line that the staff felt they could already go 7-8 deep with. Didn’t mean he wasn’t talented, just that they had some strength in core positions already. I was wrong. Not only did Gonzalez play in eight games last year he grabbed a start against UVA and held his own at LT when spelling Reid during the season. His physicality was obvious, even for a young player, and he showed why the staff felt they couldn’t keep him off the field.

2022 Season Outlook: While I do think Reid is the man at the LT spot, I think we see more of Gonzalez this season than last. Adding roughly 15lb from this time last year the big bodied Gonzalez used his size to push ends around and create space on the left side of the line. I went back and watched some of the Ole Miss game last week and Gonzalez play was one of the stand outs, as this was a young man just months removed from high school carried his own weight against a good SEC defense. He’s not just part of the rotation this year, he’s a significant piece of an O-line looking to take that next step and help Louisville crank out a top 25 offense in back to back seasons for the first time since 2017.

Sweet Tweet:

This was an A. Gunn tweet but shoutout to my dudes Gonzalez and Gillotte smashing some burritos and catching some Naruto (I googled it) after smashing heads at practice all day. If that’s what it takes to be an All-ACC type lineman I guess I better brush up on my manga and sword skills.