Phil Steele Names Five Louisville Players to 2023 Preseason All-ACC Teams

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the 2023 college football season just under three months away, preseason watch list season is officially in full swing.

Long time college football expert Phil Steele recently released his 2023 College Football Preview magazine, and as part of his Preseason All-ACC teams, five Louisville players were selected.

Center Bryan Hudson and cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. headline the selections, with both getting named to the First-Team. Wide receiver Jamari Thrash and running back Jawhar Jordan were selected to the Second-Team, with the former also getting selected as a Fourth-Team kick returner. Offensive tackle Renato Brown rounds out the selections by also landing on the Fourth-Team.

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.

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-0, 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.

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.

While Jordan started the 2022 season at fourth on the depth chart, 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 ran for four touchdowns. As a kick returner, he averaged 25.21 yards on 14 returns, including a 98-yard touchdown against NC State.

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 and 4-4 in the ACC, including a 24-7 win in the Fenway Bowl over Cincinnati. They'll kick off their 2023 season, which will be the first under new head coach Jeff Brohm, against Georgia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, Sept. 1.

(Photo of Jawhar Jordan: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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