Coaches Talk Anonymously About Louisville QB Malik Cunningham
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Heading into a crucial year four under head coach Scott Satterfield, the Louisville football program is facing moderate expectations after experiencing back-to-back losing seasons
One reason that expectations of an eight-plus win season have been so prevalent throughout the Cardinals fanbase is due to the amount of returning talent that Louisville boasts. Most importantly, quarterback Malik Cunningham is returning for one final year in college.
Many opposing coaches and players in the ACC have publicly sung Cunningham's praising over the offseason, but what do they really think of him? As it turns out, these remarks have been far from coach speak.
ESPN recently spoke with more 15 coaches and defensive coordinators in the Power Five and Group of Five to anonymously break down some of the best quarterbacks in college football. Unlike when Athlon Sports anonymously asked ACC coaches to give their true feelings on Louisville as a whole, the coaches that ESPN spoke to had nothing but positive things to say about Cunningham.
Coaches were very bullish on Cunningham, who ranked seventh in the league in passing but fifth in rushing, finishing 14th nationally in total offense.
"I'm sure if you take a poll of all of the ACC and you say, 'Who don't you want to play against?' He's pretty high on the list," a defensive coordinator said of Cunningham.
Added an ACC coach: "He's the most dynamic guy in our league. Super athletic, throws a good deep ball, understands their offense."
At only 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Cunningham's NFL outlook isn't as promising as that of several other ACC quarterbacks. But he's a true dual threat who can gash defenses on just about any play.
"He's scary athletically like [former Louisville star Lamar Jackson], but he can't throw it like Lamar," an ACC coach said. "But he's an athlete. He can beat your ass by himself."
ESPN also asked various ACC coaches about several other quarterbacks in the league, such as Tyler Van Dyke, Sam Hartman, Devin Leary and D.J. Uiagalelei. Out of the eight ACC signal callers broken down, Cunningham drew the most praise.
Cunningham was not only Louisville's heart and soul on offense in 2021, but one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC. He completed 62.0 percent of his passes for 2,941 yards and 19 touchdowns to only six interceptions, while also rushing for 1,031 yards and 20 touchdowns.
His 20 rushing scores was good for fourth in the nation, and he became the 14th player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards. His 305.5 yards per game ranked 14th in all of FBS, and his 3,972 total yards of offense came in at 9th. He finished just one passing touchdown shy of joining the exclusive 20/20 club.
The Montgomery, Ala. native heads into his final year with 10,715 career yards of offense and 100 career offensive touchdowns scored. That puts him within striking distance of Lamar Jackson's career marks of 13,175 yards and 119 touchdowns, both of which are best in Louisville history.
Louisville finished last season with a mark of 6-7 overall and 4-4 in the ACC, including a 31-28 loss in the First Responder Bowl against Air Force. The Cardinals will kick off their 2022 campaign at Syracuse on Saturday, Sept. 3.
(Photo of Malik Cunningham: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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