ACC Coaches Talk Anonymously About Louisville for 2022
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Everyone who's even remotely familiar with any aspect of sport is probably well aware of the term "coach speak". Its unofficial definition is "the jargon or pep talks given by sports coaches", and it can be heard at almost every interview and press conference regarding practice, game day and anywhere in between.
Very rarely do coaches freely speak their mind in the public eye, as they usually only divulge their true stances on the opposition among their inner circles or anonymously.
Well that's exactly what the folks over at Athlon Sports did, as they asked the coaching staffs at all 14 ACC programs their true opinions of their conference foes in 2022 under the guise of anonymity.
When it came to discussing Louisville, there was a consistent theme amongst the coaches polled. While many Cardinals fans view year four of the Scott Satterfield era as a “show me” type of season, a lot of ACC coaches seem to view it as a “do or die” year. After going 8-5 and winning a bowl in Satterfield’s first season in 2019, Louisville went 4-7 in 2020 and 6-7 in 2021.
"It's win-now time. Other than Georgia Tech, this is the job that people think is going to come open in the league. You watch the coaching and player turnover stack up, and it seems like they've drifted from what made [Scott Satterfield] successful at Appalachian State."
"Offensively, he's still going to be calling plays, so I'm skeptical how different things are going to look with Lance [Taylor] as OC. They don't seem settled on what they want to do with Malik [Cunningham]. It's hard to figure out their identity, but it's also hard to see what they want it to be."
"Defensively, they're very average at best. They don't pressure much; they don't have anyone up front who bothers you."
"Probably the thing that jumps out most is how much they've worked the portal in both directions and how different that is from what Scott came from at App. Even as a G5, they had a system of developing guys, building a very specific culture, and the last few years it seems like they're always scrambling to rebuild that roster and define themselves.”
"I think the school and the head coach figured out they're not a great fit for each other a while ago, and there hasn't been a way to create a break yet. He's tried to get out and it didn't work, and there have been issues at the school that have probably bought him some time up until now. Unless they surprise a lot of people, this feels like the end."
Louisville is set to begin the 2022 season when they travel to upstate New York to face Syracuse on Saturday, Sept. 3.
(Photo of Scott Satterfield: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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