Six Louisville Players Named Athlon Sports Preseason All-ACC Selections

The Cardinals are tied for the 10th-most selections in the conference.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2023 college football season might be roughly three months away, but the folks over at Athlon Sports are getting a head start when it comes to releasing preseason all-conference teams.

They recently released their 2023 Preseason All-ACC Teams, with six members of the Louisville football program being recognized. The Cardinals tied Boston College and Virginia Tech for the 10th-most selections in the conference, with the trio ahead of only Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. Unsurprisingly, Florida State and Clemson led the way with 15.

Center Bryan Hudson was the lone Cardinal to receive a First-Team nod. Wide receiver Jamari Thrash and running back Jawhar Jordan were both tabbed to the Second-Team Offense, with the latter making it as an all-purpose back.

Both defensive end Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. landed on the Third-Team Defense, while offensive tackle Renato Brown made it to the Fourth-Team Offense.

Hudson was the anchor of one of the more underrated offensive lines in the ACC. With a Pro Football Focus grade of 76.9, he was the third-highest rated offensive lineman in the ACC, and the league's second-highest rated center behind NC State's Grant Gibson. Allowing only 14 pressures all season out of 462 pass block snaps and 914 total offensive snaps, the 6-foot-4, 310-pound center was tabbed as a Second-Team All-ACC selection.

While Jordan started the 2022 season at fourth on the depth chart and didn't see consistant time until the second half of the year, he wound up being the Cardinals' top rusher. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound running back led Louisville in rushing yards with 815, his 900 yards from scrimmage was second only to wide receiver Tyler Hudson, and he also run for four touchdowns.

Coming over from Georgia State, Thrash was one of the most explosive players in all of FBS football last season. The 6-foot-0, 180-pound wideout caught 61 receptions for 1,112 yards and seven touchdowns, with the yardage mark good for 13th nationally. He was named First-Team All-Sun Belt for his efforts.

Gillotte is arguably the top Cardinal to return from last season's squad. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound edge rusher logged 7.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks, which was good for fifth and third respectively on the team and leads all returners. He also tallied 23 overall tackles (11 solo) plus two fumble recoveries, and was an All-ACC honorable mention.

Despite some inconsistencies when it came to his play in coverage, Brownlee actually finished as one of the Louisville's top statistical defenders. The 6-foot, 190-pound corner logged the third-most tackles on the team with 66, tied for the second-most interceptions with two, and tied for the second-most pass breakups in the ACC with 12.

Like Hudson, Brown was also a steady and reliable force on the offensive line. With a Pro Football Focus grade of 68.9, the 6-foot-4, 317-pound left tackle was the Cardinals' third-highest rated regular starter behind Hudson and Michael Gonzalez. In 368 pass block snaps and 740 total snaps, he allowed only one sack and 16 total QB pressures all season long.

The Cardinals finished their 2022 season with an overall mark of 8-5 (4-4 in ACC), including a 24-7 win in the Fenway Bowl over Cincinnati. They'll kick off their 2023 season against Georgia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, Sept. 1.

(Photo of Bryan Hudson via University of Louisville Athletics)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter