Six Standout Performances from Louisville's Fall Camp

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Practice is still ongoing, but the fall camp portion of the 2023 preseason for the Louisville football program is now complete.

With classes at the University of Louisville resuming this Monday, the Cardinals will soon phase into their regular season practice schedule in preparation for their season-opener on Sept. 1 vs. Georgia Tech.

The first fall camp in the Jeff Brohm era featured several standout performances from old and new players alike, as they hope to improve on their 8-5 season in 2022.

Here are six of the most noteworthy performances from fall camp, three on each side of the ball and listed in alphabetically by last name:

WR Chris Bell

Not long after Brohm took the head coaching job last December, he immediately got to work flipping the wide receiver room and bringing in an impressive crop of transfers at the position. The position as a whole has been very impressive this offseason, but one of their best performers was Chris Bell, who is one of just two scholarship returners.

"He's a wonderful kid," wide receivers coach Garrick McGee said. "Very hard worker. He cares a lot about what's going on around here, around his teammates and how he shows up every day and performs. Very good athlete, he's a big and strong kid.

The 6-foot-2 and 225-pound wide receiver had just seven receptions for 105 yards last season, but has taken massive steps forward this offseason. In camp, his athleticism and agility rivaled that of some of the smaller and speedier receivers on the roster, and he displayed some the most physicality in the group. In fact, it's possible to see him as a WR/TE hybrid in 2023.

CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr.

On top of wide receiver, the secondary is another perceived strength of the Cardinals, sporting a mix of quality returners and impact transfers. Out of this group, cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. had arguably the best fall camp from a defensive back.

"He's a guy that has a unique trait in that he can catch the ball, he's physical and he's tough," cornerbacks coach Steve Ellis said. "I think he has done an unbelievable job in the weight room this summer. I think he's up to 192 (pounds) right now, so he's really invested in his body. From an explosive standpoint, just from spring until now, he's better."

Brownlee finished as one of the Cardinals' top statistical defenders in 2022, logging 66 tackles, two interceptions and the second-most pass breakups in the ACC with 12. Both in spring ball and fall camp, the 6-foot-0 and 190-pound cornerback not only was as physical as ever, but was a lot more consistent when staying locked on a receiver in man coverage, significantly limiting the amount of times he was burnt down the field.

DE Ashton Gillotte

Like with the secondary, the defensive line for Louisville sports a lot of quality starting and depth pieces both on the interior and on the edges. As good as a lot of these players have been this offseason, defensive end Ashton Gillotte unquestionably had the best showing both in the spring and fall.

"Everything (on the defensive line) is kind of revolving and goes around Ashton," co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Mark Hagen said. "He's going to have a great season for us, we're confident of that."

The 6-foot-3, 270-pound edge rusher is arguably the top Cardinal to return from last season's squad, collecting 7.0 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks, 23 overall tackles (11 solo) and two fumble recoveries in 2022. During the open practices in fall camp, Gillotte's incredibly high motor and standout explosiveness was on full display, and there were times where he looked completely unblockable no matter who was in front of him.

OL Bryan Hudson

Following spring ball, Brohm and Co. put a heavy emphasis on the offensive line during the post-spring transfer window. The Cardinals wound up bringing in five newcomers, which greatly increased the OL's performance in fall camp, but they were primarily led by the efforts from returning center Bryan Hudson.

"There's a reason he's on every possible watch list known to mankind, and he should be. He's an incredibly talented player, really smart," Purdue transfer and offensive tackle Eric Miller said. "He kind of is our traffic cop out there. And there's one traffic cop. If I say something and Brian says, 'No, we're doing this,' then we're doing what Brian says. It's usually right a whole lot more than it's wrong. He's an incredibly smart guy. Having him be that centerpiece, be kind of the brain of the group, is really great."

With a Pro Football Focus grade of 76.9 in 2022, the 6-foot-4, 310-pound center was the third-highest rated offensive lineman in the ACC, and the league's second-highest rated center behind NC State's Grant Gibson. Hudson has also been named to the watch lists for the Outland Trophy and Rimington Award, as well as the preseason All-ACC Team.

LB T.J. Quinn

With the amount of production that Louisville is losing from their linebacking corps, the Cardinals were going to have to have someone in this group - whether they be a returner or newcomer - take a massive step forward to ensure inside linebacker was not a glaring weak spot on the defense. T.J. Quinn has been that, and then some, in camp.

"He's one of, if not our biggest linebacker," linebackers coach Mark Ivey said. "He shows speed, burst and acceleration. If you got size, if you got speed and burst, and he's definitely a smart young man, then all you got to do is be confident in what you're doing. ... Either way, he's a physical, physical person. His confidence is the one thing that he has improved vastly on, and needs to continue to do so. I think he'll be a great player for us."

The 6-foot-0, 225-pound inside linebacker logged only 18 total tackles and half a tackle for loss in 2022, but has taken a noticeable step forward this offseason. He was the defensive MVP in the spring game with a game-high eight tackles and an interception, and made numerous plays in the open practices of fall camp both around the line of scrimmage playing against the run or dropping back into pass coverage.

WR Jamari Thrash

Bell was far from the only transfer wide receiver to look good in fall camp. In fact, ever since he set foot on campus in the spring, Jamari Thrash has done nothing but showcase his upper tier talents in the spring and fall.

"He's a hard worker," wide receivers coach Garrick McGee said. "A lot of times when I come here on Saturdays, he's sitting in the meeting room studying. You can tell he's experienced, he's mature, he understands how to dig into the computer and pull out you know what he needs to study."

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Georgia State transfer was one of the most explosive players in all of FBS football last season, catching 61 passes for 1,112 yards and seven touchdowns, with the yardage mark good for 13th nationally. Everything that made him special last season, such as his upper tier speed, large catch radius and fantastic body control, made a seamless transition to fall camp.

(Photo of Jamari Thrash via University of Louisville Athletics)

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