LB MoMo Sanogo Providing 'Big Difference' on Louisville Defense in Offseason

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Replacing C.J. Avery was never going to be an easy endeavor for Louisville. The inside linebacker graduated as the program's leading tackler in each of the past three seasons, and is now fighting for a spot on the Chicago Bears' 53-man roster in training camp.

But out of the multiple impact playmakers that Louisville was able to land out of the transfer portal, arguably one of the most important that they landed was MoMo Sanogo. The former Ole Miss linebacker had an impact spring ball for the Cardinals, and entering fall camp, the staff believes that Sanogo is the perfect player to replace Avery with.

"When that guy was on the football field in the spring, you could tell a big difference when he was on the field vs. when he wasn't on the football field," defensive coordinator Bryan Brown said at Louisville's Media Day. "Not only just playmaking ability, but also just from a leadership standpoint. He has our guys tuned into everything, he's out there communicating as loudly as you would want a middle linebacker to communicate."

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker was dominant force in the middle for the Rebels. He burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 2018, starting all 12 games and finishing fifth in the SEC with 112 total tackles, as well as 6.5 for loss.

But just two games into the 2019 season, Sanogo suffered a season-ending injury to his right ankle. He also dealt with a back issue later on down the line. He was still effective in the subsequent 2020 and 2021 seasons at Ole Miss, but did not have the same high-level success he experienced in 2018 due to the nagging injuries.

Fortunately for Louisville, Sanogo says that he completely free of any pain from the injury, and will be able to go into fall camp at a full go.

"It feels great," he said after the first practice of fall camp. "Even as far as outside life, just being able to eat sitting down, and stuff like that. I'm just happy. I'm not in pain. It's just a great time, and I can have fun."

Being able to play free and loose without worrying about being in pain has allowed him to fully embrace his role at Louisville: being the "quarterback of the defense." Sanogo himself is able to play at a high level given the experience and success he has had playing in the SEC, but he is also focusing on making sure the rest of the defense follows suit.

"I take it to heart when we are not aligned. I take it to heart when we are running the wrong coverages. I care a lot," he said. "So, I'm going to be communicating with the safeties about what coverages they're in, even if I'm not involved in it, just because I want to be great. The first step for being a great defense is getting aligned and doing your assignments."

Having a player like Sanogo come in has allowed the defensive staff to not be forced to adjust their scheme following the loss of Avery. If anything, he has made it easier on the coaches given his skill set.

"It's a blessing and honor to be able to coach him, and to have him on your defense," Brown said. "Especially when you lose a guy like C.J. Avery, who's held that spot for a long time. MoMo is a smart football player that's come in and just latched on to us, and we've latched on to him, and he's doing a tremendous job for us."

Louisville is set to begin the 2022 season when they travel to upstate New York to face Syracuse on Saturday, Sept. 3.

(Photo of MoMo Sanogo via University of Louisville Athletics)

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