Identifying Louisville's Post-Early Signing Period Roster Needs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The early signing period is now in the rear view mirror, and the Louisville football program took full advantage of it. While there were a couple prospects exit the fold during the three days that the Cardinals could secure National Letters of Intent, they were still able to ink 19 players: 12 from the high school ranks and seven Division I transfer.

However, Louisville is far from done when it comes to building the roster for next season. As of Christmas Eve, the Cardinals have 13 open scholarships for the 2023 campaign. This number will be smaller if either wide receiver Braden Smith or linebacker Monty Montgomery receive medical waivers to return, or if tight end Marshon Ford opts to take advantage of his final season, but regardless, Louisville has a fair amount of open spots on the team left.

Given the current state of the roster, some spots need more attention that others, whether that be adding a starter via the transfer portal or adding depth using high school prospects. So which positions are they? Take a look below:

A One-Year Quarterback

Louisville finally has their starting quarterback of the future. After years of continued misses at the position from the previous staff, top-150 prospect Pierce Clarkson is officially a Cardinal, and his potential - particularly in a Jeff Brohm offense - is sky high.

That being said, he is still a true freshman. You can make a case that he could be ready to take starting reps year one given how he looked in the California state playoffs and his background of being the son of a QB guru, but regardless, there will still be a learning curve of some degree. Brock Domann is back, but he's probably best suited as a backup. Same can be said for Evan Conley, and the jury is still out for Khalib Johnson considering we haven't even seen him yet.

This team still has plenty of talent on the roster, and they're continuing to add to that via the portal. If they want to avoid a "bridge" or "rebuilding" year until Clarkson is ready, grabbing a quarterback out of the portal - likely a graduate transfer - is the best course of action. Honestly, the gears are probably already in motion here, considering former Cal quarterback Jack Plummer has already been projected to transfer to Louisville.

Running Back Depth Pieces

A few months ago, you could made the case that running back was the strongest position group on the roster for Louisville. You could have easily made a case for starting reps for four of their five backs the Cardinals had heading into the 2022 season.

In just a few short weeks, it went from the strongest and deepest to the most battered position on the roster in terms of injuries. Not to mention that the three backs who dealt with the most injury issues this past year - Tiyon Evans, Trevion Cooley and Jalen Mitchell - have all moved on.

The Cardinals still have Jawhar Jordan and Maurice Turner, who will likely serve as a one-two punch at running back next season, and picked up an underrated high school prospect in Keyjuan Brown. But as we've seen, three backs will probably not be enough, even in a pass-heavy offense that Brohm runs. Louisville will, at minimum, need at least one more scholarship running back on the roster.

A True Go-To Wide Receiver

As far as numbers go, Louisville is actually in a pretty good spot at wide receiver. They're returning four wideouts from their 2022 squad, including Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, plus added five more at the position from the portal and high school ranks.

However, most of these wide receivers might not qualify as a "true No. 1" guy in 2023. Huggins-Bruce could be that guy considering he was severely under-utilized in 2022, but it's not a guarantee. Dee Wiggins is coming off of an ACL injury, Jadon Thompson played third fiddle behind Tyler Scott and Tre Tucker at Cincinnati, Jimmy Calloway has potential but is largely unproven, and every other current wideout has minimal experience

That's what makes losing DeAndre Moore Jr. such a crushing blow for Louisville, because he had the talent to be that guy in year one. This could very well change, and someone like AHB might be a WR1 next season, but Louisville might have to search the portal for a top-flight wide receiver - if any are left.

One, Maybe Two Offensive Line Starters

Every position for Louisville has had turnover, but offensive line might the position that has been impacted the most in terms of losing quality players. Starters Caleb Chandler, Trevor Reid and Adonis Boone all graduated, while key reserve (and projected 2023 starter) Luke Kandra opted to go back home and transfer to Cincinnati.

Louisville isn't completely bare here. Starting center Bryan Hudson is back, as is starting right tackle Renato Brown. Michael Gonzalez, who will likely earn the starting job at left tackle, is also back.

There's no doubt that 2023 signees Madden Sanker and Luke Burgess should see playing time in some capacity next season, but maybe not starting-caliber worthy. Guys like Joshua Black and Aaron Gunn could very well be ready to make the jump to starter at left and right guard, but it might be in Louisville's best interest to grab a starter out of the portal at at least one of those spots. Considering Louisville currently has 11 offensive linemen on the roster for next year, they might grab at least couple more regardless, whether it be through the portal or high school.

A Potentially Starting Linebacker

If Louisville was still going to be utilizing a 3-4 defensive scheme, linebacker would be arguably their top remaining roster need, especially on the outside. The Cardinals have five inside linebackers currently on the roster, but just three - Ben Perry, Kam Wilson and Popeye Williams - on the outside.

Of course, the Cardinals are set to make a switch to Ron English's 4-2-5 defensive scheme, so linebacker isn't as big of a remaining need as it would have been if Bryan Brown was still the defensive coordinator. Louisville has eight linebackers in total currently in line to be on next season's roster.

However, an additional starting linebacker in this new scheme might be in order. Starters Yasir Abdullah and MoMo Sanogo are both gone, as is key reserve Dorian Jones, who was likely going to be a starter. Ben Perry has one starting spot for next season locked down, and guys like K.J. Cloyd, Jaylin Alderman, Popeye Williams and even Stanquan Clark will compete for the other spot. That being said, at least perusing the portal for a potential starter alongside Perry might not be the worst idea.

More Secondary Depth

I'll preface this by saying that, as of right now, Louisville is already in a pretty good spot with their secondary. The Cardinals currently have 14 scholarship defensive backs in line for next season, and despite losing All-ACC corner Kei'Trel Clark, they still bring back guys like M.J. Griffin, Josh Minkins, Quincy Riley and Jarvis Brownlee Jr., all four of whom should be starters.

But given the switch to a 4-2-5 scheme, they'll probably still have to add another defensive back for depth purposes, especially considering 10 will be on the two-deep alone. It's not the biggest remaining need for the Cardinals, but it's still something to keep an eye on.

A Punter

This one is pretty self explanatory. Out of nowhere, Mark Vassett, after putting together one of the best single-season punting performances in Louisville history, hit the portal. Unless he decides to come back, or if a guy like Brock Travelstead makes the switch from placekicking to punting, adding a punter - regardless of if they're out of high school or a transfer - will be a must.

(Photo of Louisville Players: Matt Stone - Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

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