Ryan Wallace Pleased With Progression from Louisville's Tight End Room

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Over the offseason, head coach Jeff Brohm and his staff have done an excellent job in terms of roster management heading into year one under his guidance. Between being able to retain a good amount of playmakers, bringing in multiple impact transfers and signing a top-25 recruiting class, the Cardinals have a very talented roster for the 2023 season.

If there is any major weakness on this team, at least on the offensive side of the ball, it's at tight end. For starters, Marshon Ford, one of the best tight ends in school history, graduated after a lengthy collegiate career. All-time amongst tight ends at UofL, the Ballard HS product ranks second in touchdown receptions (18), and fourth in overall receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,585).

On top of that, because of the way that other tight ends were utilized under prior head coach Scott Satterfield, there is almost zero collegiate pass catching experience at the position. The combined career totals of the six tight ends currently on the roster - both scholarship and walk-on - is just six receptions for 94 yards and a single touchdown.

With the transition to a pass-heavy offense under Brohm, getting the tight ends acclimated to their new role was of utmost importance to the Cardinals. Fortunately, Louisville just recently wrapped up fall camp, and tight ends coach Ryan Wallace likes the progress he has seen and where his guys are currently at.

"I think it's going well," Wallace said. "I think everybody in there has gotten better, they've progressed. ... I think you got a good group, a good nucleus of guys that are going to give you high effort. We’re going to have to use all, and that's the big thing. I think that'll keep them fresh, but it will also allow them to do things that they're good at, and allow us to be be a productive offense."

Just how important is the tight end spot in a Jeff Brohm offense? It's not hyperbole to say that TE1 is almost as important in the passing game as WR1 is. Just look at what Payne Durham did last season for Purdue. His 56 catches for 560 yards and eight touchdowns were all second on the team, only to All-American wideout Charlie Jones. He played a key role in the Boilermakers posting the 22nd-ranked passing offense in all of the FBS.

"I like to tell people that, basically, you gotta know as much as the quarterback. You don't throw it," Wallace said. "You gotta know pass protection, you gotta know the run game, pass game and you're kind of the eraser. You almost allow the offense to operate at a high level. The more we can do, the more we can do as an offense, because you can put the strain on us. You trust that we're super smart group that's going to play hard and know exactly what to do, and trust our technique.

"There's a lot on us, and those guys understand that. And kudos to them, because they've attacked it since we walked in the door January. They've attacked the playbook, and they've met with me, they've gone extra, and they're done a lot with it."

While Louisville has four scholarship players at the positions, the starter heading into the season will likely be walk-on Josh Lifson. Joining the Cardinals in 2020 as a transfer from Wofford, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound tight end has had minimal pass catching experience. He caught a 28-yard pass against Kentucky in 2021, then had a nine-yard touchdown vs. Pitt last season, but that's the extent of his receiving experience as a Cardinal.

But this offseason, Lifson has taken a large step forward in this department. In the spring game, he had a pair of receptions for 42 yards, with both catches good for touchdowns. In the open practices for both spring ball and fall camp, he has looked very comfortable as a pass catcher.

"Josh is a great example in that room, and a guy that plays with incredible effort," Wallace said. "He dedicates himself to learning things, he knows the offense inside and out, he really tries to do what we coach him to do in terms of technique. But his effort is something that you can point to on this football team as something that everybody should strive to do. I think that he's done an incredible job of taking over that leadership role in the room, and being an old guy in there that's got some experience. He knows that, and he's done a good job."

While Lifson is the likely day one starter for Louisville, don't sleep on Jamari Johnson's potential to slide into this role in the later parts of the season. While he is an incoming freshman, the hulking 6-foot-5, 265-pound newcomer is oozing with potential, as he was ranked as the No. 190 prospect in the 2023 cycle according to 247Sports' in-house rankings.

His status as one of the most athletic and physical players on the entire roster made itself very obvious in the early goings of spring ball, then into fall camp. From then until now, Johnson made lengthy strides not only in terms of getting physically ready for the college level, but also from a maturity standpoint. All it will come down is nailing down the consistency part.

"He's matured a lot in terms of understanding how to practice, understanding the intensity it takes to succeed, and understanding that you need high effort every rep," Wallace said. "He's made plays, got incredible hands, he's got great ball skills. He's getting better in the run game. He's got to understand the leverage of bringing his feet, but just kind of the consistency factor of it. He's got to continue to improve there, and he is.

"He's come miles along since the spring, and at some point this year, I think that he's gonna be able to help us. The more consistent he can play, the more opportunities he'll get."

A wild card to watch at this spot is Joey Gatewood. The former top-50 prospect began his career as a quarterback, playing for two years at Auburn, one year at Kentucky, then two more years at UCF. He transitioned to a wide receiver ahead of his final year with the Knights last season, but didn't log a single snap that season.

Over the early goings of fall camp, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Gatewood appeared to struggle a bit. But he wholly dedicated himself to the position change, and as camp went on, he became accustomed to his new position and had a handful of standout practices down the stretch.

"From a quarterbacks perspective, he's able to understand zones and man's, and how to leverage routes, and understand how to run routes, and look at quarterbacks perspective," Wallace said. "That was really easy for him to pick up the other side of it.

"But the buy-in from him is what's been most impressive, and he's been all in. He understands this is his last shot, and he wants to go do something and be able to prove himself, and do a lot with it. I think that's been a good challenge for him this summer. We've spent a lot of time together, and developed a great relationship. I'm proud of him. I think you're going to see that on the field at some point this fall."

Wallace has also seen good things from the other two scholarship tight ends on the roster in Duane "D.J." Martin and Nate Kurisky, He believes that Martin "can do some good things for us" in a fullback/H-back type of role, and that Kurisky - along with Lifson - has a "a great grasp of the offense."

Plus, on top of all that, the tight ends on the roster have a bit of a chip on their shoulder. They have heard fans and media talk about the perceived lack of pass catching experience at the position, and are fueled by motivation to show what they can do in this offense.

"Yeah, we've heard it, we've all seen the media posts, we've all heard it," Martin said. "We know that a lot of the guys are not experienced with playing time. Joey used to play quarterback, Jamari's an incoming freshman, and we have a few other guys that are younger. But we just took that to heart, and just went to work."

(Photo of Josh Lifson: James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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