Notebook: 2021 Louisville Football Fall Camp Week One
(Photo of Louisville Players: University of Louisville Athletics)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The first week of fall camp for the Louisville football program is officially in the books.
On the morning of Sunday, August 8, the Cardinals gathered on the fields outside of the Trager Center and were able to conduct their first practice of the 2021 preseason. Camp continued throughout the week and into the weekend, with the program finally taking Friday off in advance of Saturday's annual media day
Media was able to attend the first day of camp, and several coaches & players were made available over the week to give updates on the status of camp, as well as discuss a variety of other topics pertaining to the program.
Louisville Report was there for it all, and below is our notebook of everything that transpired during the first week of camp:
Day 1
Day One Notes and Observations
The first day of the preseason was open to fans and media, and you can check out our notes and observations from day one here.
Cardinals Entering Camp Plentiful, Young and Healthy
Louisville certainly doesn't have to worry about a lack of players as they begin fall camp. The Cardinals had 116 guys participate in fall camp, with 80 of them being true or second-year freshmen.
"That's a lot of bodies, had a lot of newcomers, first time being out here in practice," head coach Scott Satterfield said. "A lot of new faces for us to learn and, but it was fun."
Not only that, but the team heads into the preseason relatively healthy. In fact, only two players are sidelined in some capacity: safety Josh Minkins and defensive lineman Daina Kinnaird.
"Minkins, he did some drills today, and I think hopefully as he gains a little bit more strength as we go-I mean he's cleared, but we got to get stronger," Satterfield said. "Daina Kinnaird is gonna be a little bit more down the road while off his injury, but we're in really good shape.
Day 2
Louisville Hoping to Improve Pass Rush in 2021
With all the advancements that have been made on defense, it is far from a finished product. Last season, Louisville generated just 2.00 sacks and 5.7 tackles for loss per game, both of which ranked just 12th in the ACC.
"We got to be more aggressive in our passing lanes, and we got to get a pass rush from our front," defensive coordinator Bryan Brown said. "If we can do those and stay on top, and number one - stop the run on a consistent basis, then you will continue to see us rise in the rankings, as far as ACC."
A couple things come into play in order to see improvement. Brown believe there needs to be more wins in one-on-one coverage, and that coaching staff themselves needs to do a better job at running a better game plan in the defensive front.
"If we can do a better job of that, that will help create a lot more pass rush," he said. "Hopefully then, you'll be able to see more errant throws, as well as just throws with off timing, and now some of those interceptions will come."
Bryan Brown 'Ecstatic' with Louisville's Secondary
Last season, Louisville allowed just 369.1 total yards and 26.6 points per game last season, both of which were third in the ACC, as well as the league's best passing defense at 189.2 yards per game. Heading into 2021, Brown could not be more excited about the secondary's potential.
"Right now, to be honest with you, I'm really ecstatic with that group," he said. "The first string group is doing tremendous in their coverage, and being tight on routes, keeping everything inside and in front of them. I think that's a big positive in two days."
The Cardinals might have lost guys like Russ Yeast, Marlon Character and Lovie Jenkins, but they are also welcoming Georgia Southern transfer Kenderick Duncan, Alcorn State transfer Qwynnterrio Cole and true freshman Benjamin Perry. Early though camp, that trio has seen a ton of reps.
"They are playing a lot of snap for us, and doing tremendous," Brown said. "They haven't stepped foot on the football field yet for us, but those guys are doing tremendous. Making the right checks, and playing really, really good football right now."
YaYa Diaby Sets Lofty Goal for Upcoming Season
In any collegiate or professional sport, it's fairly common for those within a team or organization to set goals ahead of a new season to inspire motivation. In that case, it seems that Louisville defensive end YaYa Diaby is not lacking in the motivation department.
"I'm expecting myself to blow out this year, having 10-plus sacks," he said. "I set that goal high for myself, so I know what to expect from myself, and don't try to settle myself any lower than 10 sacks."
At face value, it might be a little difficult to see this come to fruition. But behind the scenes, Diaby has been hard at work to turn this lofty goal into something very much attainable. The Atlanta native has took full advantage of the offseason, adding nearly 20 pounds to his now 6-foot-4 and 273-pound frame.
"Throughout the whole offseason and spring, I've trained myself to take the nutrition serious, put on good weight and lower my body fat, and just be able to move quicker with this new weight," he said"
Day 3
Bicknell: Louisville's OL Can Be 'Best I've Ever Coached in College
Louisville offensive line coach Jack Bicknell has seen his fair share of competent line play. In his nearly 30 years of coaching experience, he has been an offensive line coach at five different collegiate programs, including three at the Power Five level. So comparatively speaking, how do the Cardinals stack up against previous lines that have been under his wing?
"I'll tell you what, they're right up there. They really are," he said after the third day of fall camp. "I feel like this could be one of the best offensive lines I've ever coached in college."
Now, this does come with a bit of a caveat. He says this mainly in regards to the unit's potential, not necessarily where they are currently in their progression. Precision is the name of the game for Bicknell, and he believes that it's the toughness and the precision of their technique is what will elevate the overall play of the offensive line.
"If I'm supposed to put my head on the play side armpit, it's not on the play side numbers. It's not two inches off, it's precise," he said. "If I'm supposed to finish, I finish every single play. That to me is taking it to the next level. That's how you win these close games. You're talking about inches off."
Louisville to Utilize Eight-Man Offensive Line Rotation
Heading into year three of the Satterfield era, Louisville's offensive line has gone from undersized and undermanned, to one that can properly compete at the Power Five level. Now, they can finally put forth a proper lineman rotation, instead of simply trying to find guys they can rely on.
"We're gonna play eight guys, and we're determining that right now (during the preseason)," Bicknell said. "That's what I told those guys. I said, "Look, I don't care if you played 40 games. If somebody comes in and he's better than you, he's playing." We got to win, simple as that."
This rotation is already starting to take shape. Last month, the program released their 2021 preseason depth chart, which named all five offensive line starters: Trevor Reid, Caleb Chandler, Cole Bentley, Adonis Boone and Renato Brown.
Beyond the five determined starters is where the competition is really starting to heat up. Based on comments from Bicknell, some players are starting to pull ahead in the race to crack the eight-man rotation.
"Mike Gonzalez, Luke Kandra, there's some got young guys that are gonna be there playing a lot of football to help us," he said. Bryan Hudson was also mentioned.
Day 4
Competition at Nose Tackle Heating Up for Louisville
Starting nose tackle Jared Goldwire departed for the NFL after playing 430 snaps last season, figuratively and literally leaving a hole in the middle of the defensive line. As the Cardinals carry onwards through fall camp in preparation for the upcoming season, the competition for that spot is reaching a fever pitch.
"It's really entertaining right now, I mean really entertaining for these first several days," defensive line coach Mark Ivey said. "You may see a rotating starter at that position. I don't know yet, you may not, somebody may establish himself.
Redshirt junior Malik Clark, graduate transfer Jacques Turner and second-year freshman Dezmond Tell are the main three competing for the starting job. The competition has been so fierce that Ivey has already had to switch up the depth chart twice in four days.
"It's a totally different thing. GG (Robinson) was the guy, and only guy, so there was no pressure. It was always, "Hey, this is your spot", and he knew that. Then it was (Jared) Goldwire's spot, and he knew that," Ivey said. "It's a different deal when every single day, you have to compete to keep that job, or get that job back."
Ivey Impressed by Louisville's Defensive Line Newcomers
Last December, as the Cardinals were able to sign five defensive linemen: Caleb Banks, Victoine Brown, Ryheem Craig, Ashton Gillotte and RJ Sorensen. All five have made a good impression on defensive line coach Mark Ivey during camp.
.“It’s an exciting group, Ivey said. “I think these guys are pretty well grounded, and you'd like to see them a year down the road, two years down the road, three or four years down the road. It's an exciting thing to think about.”
“If we can keep these five guys together that just got here, it's gonna be kind of scary down the road,” he said. “I think it's a big time good thing.”
Ashton Gillotte Continuing to Impress in Offseason
True freshmen aren't typically put in a position where they will have a profound impact in their first year at the collegiate level, but defensive end Ashton Gillotte is slowly trending in that direction.
"I didn't really expect too much, I actually didn't think I was going to be thrust into position I was, as fast as I was," Gillotte said in his first session with the media as a Cardinal. "But I definitely took what the coaches were giving me, and ran with it."
For defensive line coach Mark Ivey, Gillotte's ascent is only partially unexpected. He knew that Gillotte had a chance to be special the moment he his the practice fields.
"He's been-not a surprise, I shouldn't say a surprise, but he's been a treat the whole time, because he is what what we thought he was, and maybe even more," Ivey said. "Then obviously, gained about 40-50 pounds, and he can still move. He's gonna be excellent."
Day 5
Running Back Rotation Still a Work in Progress
As Louisville heads into the 2021 season, they have some solid options to replace former starting running back Javian Hawkins. But with the season-opener less than four weeks away, what will their approach at this position be? Feature back? Two-man or three-man rotation? A complete running back by committee?
"Whatever it takes to win a game. That's the number one deal," running backs coach De'Rail Sims said. "If it takes three to win the game, if it takes four to five to win the game, whatever it takes so we're staying fresh. We'll do whatever it takes to win the ballgame."
Sims and the rest of the Louisville coaching staff are in no rush to get the running back rotation hammered. Roughly one week into fall camp, they still don't know whether they want to utilize a workhorse approach in games, or have a rotation of all the backs on the roster. In fact, they won't come to that conclusion until camp is in the books.
"At the end of it, Coach (Scott) Satterfield will have the final call on that, from what sees fit in terms of who was 1a, and then what kind of role from that standpoint," Sims said. "You let this thing play out as we go through fall camp, and then we go from there.
Jalen Mitchell Approaching Fall Camp With Growth Mentality
Running back Jalen Mitchell had a tremendous end to the 2020 season, and entered camp presumably as the next starter. But if you ask Mitchell himself, you would think he was on the bottom of the depth chart.
"My mindset everyday is to think I'm the last back on the list. I'm the last option. If I can think I'm the last option, and push myself to be more than that, I succeed," he said. "Just keeping that growth mentality, and knowing that somebody is out there working, and somebody is getting better than you. Whether that be my teammate, or somebody else in the country."
While he has spent a ton of time in the weight room, he hasn't been just focusing on his physique. He spent a lot of time in the film room, and it wasn't spent just watching himself on old game film. He dipped into some NFL film, watching guys like Alvin Kamara, Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch.
"I basically focused on flexibility, mobility, speed, trying to become a better film watching," he said. "Taking better notes during film, just trying to figure out what I can pick up from other backs. Whether it'd be NFL backs or Louisville film, old game film."
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