Jeff Brohm Setting Louisville Up for Present, Future with Offseason QB Additions
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As every football fan knows, the most important position on the field is without a doubt the quarterback. A good quarterback can be the difference between a team just scratching the surface of their potential, and one that fully realizes it.
For the Louisville football program, not only are they heading into a new era with head coach Jeff Brohm taking over, it's one that will start with a brand new primary signal caller. Longtime starter Malik Cunningham finally ran out of eligibility, and is now with the New England Patriots attempting to kickstart his NFL career.
Instead of lamenting the fact that he would not have a dual threat weapon like Cunningham at his disposal, Brohm - a former quarterback himself - got to work recruiting the position to bolster its depth for the 2023 season.
Over his first six months on the job, he and his staff have welcomed three new scholarship quarterbacks to the roster. The moves have not only helped set up Louisville for success in their upcoming season, but also for potential future success later on down the line.
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The most noteworthy addition, at least in terms of immediate production, was that of Jack Plummer. The former Cal quarterback completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,095 yards, 21 touchdown passes and nine interceptions last season in his lone season with the Golden Bears.
On top of the production he had at Cal, he also brings to the table a plethora of experience with Brohm's system, considering he spent the first four years of his collegiate career with him at Purdue before heading out west. For Brohm, bringing Plummer in helps him check a major box, which is to win immediately.
"Well, the goal was to win now," Brohm said earlier this week. "Jack Plummer gives us experience. He's been in our offense, he's played a lot of football games. You can't undervalue that experience factor. He works hard. He's a really good kid. He's smart. I think he came in and had a really good spring."
As Brohm noted, Plummer wasted little time establishing himself in spring practice. He showed a lot of promise in the spring game, going 10-for-13 for 140 yards and two scores. Unsurprisingly, speaking at the "Family Affair at the Frazier: The Brohms" event at the Frazier Museum, Brohm said that Plummer would indeed be the Cardinals' day-one starter.
"When someone is intelligent as Jack, who has the experience, knowledge and intelligence to get that done, it definitely helps," Brohm said. "He's a competitor. He came here for a purpose, and that is to be on a winning football team, and to be the quarterback of that team."
While Plummer was brought in to help produce a successful 2023 campaign for Louisville, two of the other additions - Pierce Clarkson and Brady Allen - will be key pieces for Louisville's future. Clarkson is a top-200 prospect and one of Louisville's highest-ranked commits in the Class of 2023, while Allen was a former top-150 prospect in the Class of 2022 who spent his first season at Purdue.
"Of course, from there, you got to build that group up with with young men," Brohm said. "Pierce Clarkson, of course, unfortunately, got hurt and missing spring practice. We brought in Brady Allen. ... We have to prepare for now, then of course when this year is over, there could be quite a few quarterbacks graduate and move on. We've got to make sure that we're preparing for the future as well."
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Of course, these three are far from the only quarterbacks on the roster. Brock Domann returns for one final year, and is likely going to be the primary backup. He's coming off of a year where he made four starts and ten appearances, completing 54.9 percent of his passes for 998 yards and four touchdowns to six interceptions, then went 9-for-14 for 71 yards in the spring game. Evan Conley also gives Louisville veteran experience as he enters his fifth season with the Cardinals.
"We've got a couple of veteran backups on the team that were here last year that are really good kids," Brohm said of Domann and Conley. "They work hard, and we feel good about the progress they're making."
These five signal callers comprise of Louisville's full amount of scholarship quarterbacks for the 2023 season, but they won't be the only options for the Cardinals both now and in the future. Harrison Bailey, who spent last season at UNLV and is a former five-star prospect, is joining Louisville as a walk-on. The Cardinals also have a commitment from Deuce Adams, a high three-star prospect who is only getting better, in the Class of 2024.
Collectively, just like at every other position on the football field, Brohm wants to add as much talent to the quarterback room so that he can promote competition and give him the best opportunity to win.
"I just think, you know, the more valuable pieces you can add to the puzzle, the better the competition will make the overall position," he said."
The Cardinals will kick off their 2023 season against Georgia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, Sept. 1.
(Photo of Louisville quarterbacks: Jeff Faughender - Courier Journal and USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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