Kei’Trel Clark Believes Louisville’s Secondary Will Be ‘Dangerous’ in 2021
(Photo of Kei’Trel Clark: University of Louisville Athletics)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program isn’t all the far removed from fielding one of the worst defenses in all of college football. Just three seasons ago, the Cardinals were surrendering 44.1 points and 483.5 yards per game, both of which were near the bottom in all of FBS.
That being said, it makes it even more impressive considering the job that defensive coordinator Bryan Brown has done in his two years with the program. Last season, Louisville was able to hold opponents to 26.6 points and 369.1 yards per game, which ranked 49th and 39th out of the 130 teams playing at the FBS level.
Louisville’s strong suit on that side of the ball was undoubtedly in their secondary. They were able to drastically cut down on the amount of explosive plays given up, and finished with the 17th-best passing defense in college football, allowing just 189.2 passing yards per game.
However, cornerback Kei’Trel Clark, Louisville’s top defender and arguably best player in 2020, believes that area of the field for the Cardinals will take yet another major step forward heading into next season.
“I just want to let y'all know, that it's gonna be dangerous,” he said Wednesday when asked if the secondary can build off their success from last season. “That's all I'm gonna say. It's gonna be real dangerous.”
The Cardinals have lost several pieces of their secondary over the course of the last couple of months. Safety Isaiah Hayes and cornerback Marlon Character both declared for the 2021 NFL Draft; while safety Russ Yeast and cornerbacks Anthony Johnson, Telly Plummer & Trenell Troutman all transferred elsewhere.
On the other side of that coin, Louisville has also brought in their fair share of quality talent, bringing in seven new defensive backs. Safeties Benjamin Perry, TJ Quinn & Bralyn Oliver and cornerbacks Rance Conner, Derrick Edwards III & Kani Walker all came from the high schools ranks, while safety Kendrick Duncan transferred from Georgia Southern.
“It's awesome,” Brown said, referring to the amount of newcomers in the secondary. “Them guys, their heads are spinning and going so fast. But they're not complaining at all, and ready to roll. I'm excited.”
Helping to ensure defensive continuity, all but Conner have enrolled early and joined the program in time for spring ball. Perry, Quinn and Duncan have already stood out through the early goings of spring practice, with Brown going so far to say that Duncan has All-ACC potential.
While there are plenty of fresh faces, the secondary still has some veteran experience. Cornerback Chandler Jones is entering year three with the program, while corners Greedy Vance & Clark are entering year two.
Speaking of Clark, he has the very real potential of reaching greater heights than he did last season, due to the fact that he has a full offseason to prepare this time around. He joined the program during fall camp last season as a transfer from Liberty, but still managed to tally 36 tackles (27 solo), 10 pass breakups and an interception, being named a Second Team All-ACC honoree.
“When I first came in, it was kind of like everything in my face,” Clark said. “So now, it's calm now. I can look at the playbook, and take the time to look at where my safety is going to be in this coverage. So now, it can put me in better positions to know, 'alright he's gonna be right there'. So I can take this, and I can trust him that he's gonna be there, because I know now.”
But perhaps most importantly, everyone on the defense, not just in the secondary, has a renewed hunger for success. They want to put the bad taste of last season squarely in the rear view mirror.
“Everybody is buying in. Everybody's getting extra work in, more than previously when I first got here,” Clark said. “I feel like everybody is hungry. I know I'm hungry. 4-7, that ain't what we want. I feel like we're just changing the narrative, and we elevating the standard.”
Louisville will kickoff the 2021 season against Ole Miss in the annual Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Monday, Sept. 6.
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