Projecting Louisville Football's 2025 Two-Deep Depth Chart

With spring practice about to kick off, we take an early guess as to what the Cardinals' two-deep depth chart will look like for their season opener.

Louisville football mascot Louie | Jared Anderson - Louisville Report

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Spring practice for the Louisville football program is just around the corner. While there are still some moving roster parts as Louisville head into year three of the Jeff Brohm era, it's never too early to take an educated guess as to who will start for the Cardinals when they host Eastern Kentucky for their 2025 season opener.

Related: Who's In, Who's Out and Who's Back for Louisville Football in 2025

There's still going to be a plethora of position battles throughout spring ball, summer workouts, and into fall camp. There's also going to be transfer portal action when the 15-day spring transfer portal window arrives in mid-April.

That being said, Louisville Cardinals On SI decided to take a shot at giving an early projection at the Cardinals' two-deep depth chart for the 2025 football season.

Quarterback

1. Miller Moss (6-2, 210, R-Sr.)
2. Deuce Adams (6-1, 170, R-Fr.)

Quick Hit: For the third year in a row, Louisville is going the portal route for their starting quarterback, this time landing one of top transfers at the position in Moss. Sure, there are questions surrounding him given his 2024 campaign at USC, but he has the potential to thrive in Brohm's offense. Behind him are a trio of scholarship players, and at current moment it appears that Adams has the leg up on QB2 - though expect a fierce battle for the backup spot.

Running Back

1. Isaac Brown (5-9, 190, So.)
2. Duke Watson (6-0, 180, So.)

Quick Hit: Louisville heads into the 2025 season with one of the best running back duos in all of college football. It's highlighted by one of the best backs in the sport, period, with Brown storming onto the scene as a true freshman. But while he is the 1,000-yard rusher, there's a case to be made that Watson is arguably the more explosive one of the two. Add in Keyjuan Brown as your third option, and running back is the biggest strength for the offense.

Wide Receiver

1. Chris Bell (6-2, 220, Sr.)
2. Antonio Meeks (6-1, 195, Sr.)

1. Bobby Golden (5-9, 180, Sr.)
2. Kris Hughes (5-11, 190, R-So.)

1. Caullin Lacy (5-10, 190, R-Sr.)
2. JoJo Stone (5-11, 180, R-Fr.)

Quick Hit: Like at running back, Louisville has a deadly one-two punch at wide receiver. Bell took another massive step forward in 2024, and heads into 2025 as one of the top returning wideouts in the ACC. Lacy is coming back after having to redshirt, but showed what he can do in the Sun Bowl. That being said, there are a lot of questions marks at the position behind these two, and several guys will have to make significant progress in spring ball.

Tight End

1. Nate Kurisky (6-3, 240, R-Jr.)
2. Jaleel Skinner (6-5, 225, Jr.)

Quick Hit: Speaking of positions that need to take a step forward, tight end certainly fits the bill considering that Louisville's top two from 2024 - Mark Redman and Jamari Johnson - have moved on. That being said, Kurisky might be one of the most underrated players on the team, and Skinner does have a lot of potential. They just both need to adjust to much bigger roles.

Left Tackle

1. Makylan Pounders (6-5, 310, R-Sr.)
2. Trevonte Sylvester (6-6, 280, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Losing Monroe Mills to the portal certainly hurts, but Louisville is still in a good spot at blindside blocker. Pounders gives them SEC starting experience from his time at Mississippi State, and Sylvester stepped in here as UofL's starter when Mills switched to right tackle-post injury,

Left Guard

1. Jordan Church (6-4, 315, R-So.)
2. Mahamane Moussa (6-4, 300, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Louisville loses a stalwart at left guard in Michael Gonzalez, but like at left tackle, the Cardinals are still in good shape here despite losing an impact starter. Church had a standout season at FAU, and Moussa was a starter at Purdue last year. This will be an interesting battle to monitor in spring ball.

Center

1. Pete Nygra (6-4, 300, R-Sr.)
2. Michael Flores (6-3, 310, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: When the left side of the offensive line will have new faces, the center spot for Louisville brings back a big time piece. Of the 10 returners on the line, Nygra was the Cardinals' highest-graded played in 2024, per PFF (71.1). Not to mention they add quality depth in Old Dominion transfer Michael Flores - the brother of former UofL OL John Paul Flores.

Right Guard

1. Austin Collins (6-3, 295, R-Sr.)
2. Naeer Jackson (6-7, 320, R-Jr.)

Quick Hit: As we move to the right side of the line, Louisville has another familiar face coming back. While he did split reps with Renato Brown at right guard, Collins - who was Louisville's top-graded pass blocker (85.1) - looks to take over at the go-to starter with graduating. But if/when he does have to take a break, Jackson was one of Louisville's top portal gets among lineman after a great season at FIU.

Right Tackle

1. Rasheed Miller (6-7, 310, R-Sr.)
2. Lance Robinson (6-4, 295, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Over at right tackle, Louisville brings back a pair of quality lineman in the two deep - although both have injury concerns. Miller got a lot of run at right tackle before getting hurt midway through the season, and Robinson didn't play at all last year for the same reason. Both have potential, but they have to stay healthy.

Defensive End

1. Wesley Bailey (6-5, 260, R-Sr.)
2. Adonijah Green (6-6, 240, R-So.)

Quick Hit: Louisville loses a lot of production and experience overall at defensive end, namely Ashton Gillotte, but that doesn't mean they are in a bad spot on the edges. Bailey has had an underrated collegiate career up to this point while at Rutgers, and Green is teeming with potential.

Nose Tackle

1. Rene Konga (6-4, 290, R-Sr.)
2. Denzel Lowry (6-1, 280, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Losing veteran defensive linemen Dezmond Tell and Jared Dawson certainly hurts, but Louisville should still be an impact in the middle of the line. While he was slowed at times by injury, Konga was much better than many anticipated. Lowry was a multi-year starter at Old Dominion, though it remains to be seen how he will handle to jump to the ACC.

Defensive Tackle

1. Jordan Guerad (6-2, 295, R-Sr.)
2. Jerry Lawson (6-2, 295, R-Jr.)

Quick Hit: Guerad, like Konga, flew under the radar last season only to thrive in his new home. The FIU transfer missed most of the first half of the season due to injury, but once healthy, he slowly became an impact playmaker on the defensive line. Like Lowry, Lawson thrived at a lower level, as the Abilene Christian transfer was one of the top tackles at the FCS level. But how will he look at a power conference school?

Leo (DE/LB)

1. Clev Lubin (6-3, 250, R-Jr.)
2. Demon Clowney (6-4, 255, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: While Louisville is losing an All-American edge rusher in Ashton Gillotte, the Cardinals will still have a game-wrecker on the edge in 2025. A transfer from Coastal Carolina, Lubin was one of the top players to enter the portal, and landing him was a massive win for UofL. Additionally, Clowney, a Charlotte transfer, has potential to be a very good reserve edge in Louisville's system

Middle Linebacker

1. T.J. Quinn (6-1, 230, R-Sr.)
2. Kalib Perry (6-3, 230, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: While the linebacker spot certainly had its ups-and-downs, Quinn coming back for another season is a big deal considering he's led the team in tackles for two straight years. He'll just have to improve his coverage abilities/ On top of that, his backup in Perry has a good amount of SEC experience during his time at Tennessee

Weakside Linebacker

1. Stanquan Clark (6-3, 230, Jr.)
2. T.J. Capers (6-2, 220, R-So.)

Quick Hit: While it was Quinn who led the team in tackles, if you had to ask Louisville fans who their top returning defensive player is, many would probably say Clark. He also needs to clean up his coverage some, but he is an extremely athletic and versatile defender. Behind him, Capers, a former five-star prospect, has the potential to have a breakout year if he can carve out a go-to role in the linebacker rotation.

STAR (LB/S)

1. Antonio Watts (6-2, 225, R-Jr.)
2. Darius Thomas (6-2, 225, R-Jr.)

Quick Hit: Watts being named the starter here at the beginning of last season, especially with Benjamin Perry still on the roster at the time, certainly raised some eyebrows. But he made the most of his opportunity, notably making a game-winning play in the Sun Bowl. But don't expect him to be the every down starter, and Thomas also was an impact playmaker during his time at WKU.

Cornerback

1. Jabari Mack (6-1, 185, R-Sr.)
2. Justin Agu (6-1, 185, R-Jr.)

1. Rodney Johnson Jr. (6-2, 200, R-Sr.)
2. Rae'mon Mosby (6-0, 180, R-Fr.)

Quick Hit: Undoubtedly, cornerback has the most question marks for Louisville at this moment, as they lost their top five players at the position - including All-ACC corner Quincy Riley. Mack, Agu and Johnson certainly performed well at their prior stops, but all three will taking a step up in competition. Not to mention that Mosby is coming off of a redshirt year. Unless multiple players here take massive strides, Louisville will likely add here in the spring portal window.

Free Safety

1. Corey Gordon Jr. (6-2, 195, R-Jr.)
2. Blake Ruffin (6-3, 210, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Sure, Louisville also loses a pair of quality safeties in Tamarion McDonald and M.J. Griffin, but they're in much better shape here than at corner. Gordon was one of Baylor's top defensive backs last season, and Ruffin, a former FCS All-American, should be ready to go after missing the 2024 season due to injury.

Strong Safety

1. JoJo Evans (6-1, 195, R-Sr.)
2. D'Angelo Hutchinson (6-3, 195, Sr.)

Quick Hit: When the 2025 is said and done, it wouldn't be a shock to see Evans be the transfer that makes the biggest impact for Louisville. Coming over from FIU, the All-Conference USA defender was one of the top defensive backs at the G5 level. But don't count out Hutchinson to try and make a push for the starting gig, as he is coming off of a breakout 2024 season.

(Photo of Louie: Jared Anderson - Louisville Cardinal On SI)

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