Louisville DT Jermayne Lole Making 'Steady Progress' with Injury Recovery
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When Jermayne Lole committed to the Louisville football program last offseason, it was a significant development for the Cardinals. The Arizona State transfer defensive tackle was regarded as one of the best players at his position, and it filled a massive area of need for Louisville.
However, the 6-foot-3, 310-pound nose tackle has barely seen the field - practice or game - while a member of the Cardinals. In last season's opener at Syracuse, he played just 18 snaps before suffering an elbow injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the season. Lole was even limited in what he could do this past spring after experiencing "a little bit of a setback."
Over the summer, the medical staff took a slow and methodical approach with Lole. Fast forward to fall camp, and the new coaching staff is optimistic with they have seen in terms of his recovery.
"I think our medical people - our trainers and our medical staff - have been intentional," co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Mark Hagen said." When he had a little bit of a setback in the spring, it wasn't nearly what the prior two injuries have been. As we got him through, and then the late part of the spring and into the summer, I just think we've been very intentional about our path. I think we've hit all those checkmarks so far, and now we're starting to ease him back in. It first started with individual type stuff out on the field, and now we've progressed to team things.
"A guy like that that's played a lot of football, I just told him, 'You've just got to communicate with me.' But so, far so good. It's been steady progress."
The Long Beach, Calif. native has not played a full season of full football since 2020, as he was forced to miss Arizona State's entire 2021 campaign due to a triceps injury suffered in fall camp. He was even limited during his first fall camp with Louisville last season due a separate undisclosed injury suffered right before the start of the preseason.
Before the injury bug came down hard on Lole, he had established himself as not only one of the Sun Devils' best players, but as one of the best defensive tackles in all of college football. During the ASU's COVID-shortened 2020 season, he logged 24 tackles, 5.0 for loss and 1.5 sacks in just four games.
Lole was voted as a 2021 Preseason First-Team All-Pac-12 selection, was tabbed as the No. 2 interior defensive lineman in college football by Pro Football Focus, and named to the Outland Trophy watch list that summer prior to his injury.
With Lole now the healthiest he has ever been as a member of the Cardinals, Hagen and the rest of the defensive staff have seen first-hand the game-wrecking potential that he has over the course of fall camp.
"We're a different team when he's out there. ... Those type of guys are hard to handle, I don't care what offensive line you're at," Hagen said. "I think those are guys that we can move around in some of our our sub packages, where we've maybe got a fifth D-lineman out there, or down the goal line maybe six guys. So it's nice to have that flexibility and those options.
"But, like I said, so far so good with Jermaine. He's coming along, and we're excited about where he's at."
During his three seasons in Tempe, Ariz. with the Sun Devils, Lole totaled 123 tackles and 20.0 for loss, 11.0 sacks, eight pass deflections and two forced fumbles in 28 appearances.
Louisville is currently in the homestretch of their third week and final week of fall camp. The Cardinals will kick off their 2023 season against Georgia Tech in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, Sept. 1.
(Photo of Jermayne Lole: Michael Clevenger - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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