2022 Louisville Football Position Breakdown: Cornerback

Questions remain for the Cardinals at corner, but there is real potential for it to be a relative strength of theirs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As we inch closer to the start of the 2022 college football season, Louisville Report will break down each individual position on the Cardinals' roster. Next in our positional breakdown series, we take at look at the cornerbacks.

Position Roster Movement:

Returning (5): Kei’Trel Clark, Rance Conner, Derrick Edwards III, Trey Franklin, Chandler Jones
Departing (2): Greedy Vance (Transfer - Florida State), Kani Walker (Transfer - Oklahoma)
Incoming (2): Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (Transfer - Florida State), Quincy Riley (Transfer - Middle Tennessee State)

Projected Depth Chart:

Cornerback

1. Kei'Trel Clark (5-10, 180, Jr.)
2. Chandler Jones (5-10, 186, Sr.)
3. Rance Conner (5-10, 186, R-Fr.)

Cornerback

1. Quincy Riley (6-0, 181, Jr.)
2. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (5-11, 182, So.)
3. Trey Franklin (5-10, 180, R-So.)
4. Derrick Edwards III (5-10, 177, R-Fr.)

Breakdown:

Over the last couple seasons, the secondary as a whole has been a rollercoaster ride for Louisville. Back in 2020, the Cardinals had one of the more underrated collection of defensive backs in the ACC, allowing just 189.2 yards per game for 17th in FBS. They might have only produced five interceptions, but the secondary, more often than not, was in the right place in the right time.

But this past season, the secondary took a massive step backwards, allowing 245.6 yards per game for 95th in FBS. They doubled their interception total to 10, but were also far too often burned by opposing defenses through the air.

Heading into the 2022 season when looking specifically at the cornerback room, there is optimism that this unit can perform at a higher level, but there are also some questions as well.

First we'll start with the star in the room in Kei'Trel Clark. While there were a couple games in 2021 that he didn't look like himself, he was still largely the elite cornerback that we expected him to be. Playing in just nine games, his nine pass breakups finished tied for second in the ACC, as did his three interceptions, and he finished atop the league in passes defended per game (1.33) by a wide margin. He also finished with 40 tackles and 3.5 for loss.

But there is still one big question surrounding him: his health. Late in the season against NC State, he suffered a torn ACL and was done for the rest of the season. While his offseason rehab seems to be going well, he has yet to be fully cleared. Clark is arguably the best man-to-man cover corner they've had since Jaire Alexander, and time will tell how much his injury will affect his upcoming season. He very much has the ability to play into an early round NFL Draft pick when fully healthy.

After Clark are where the questions really start to ramp up. Greedy Vance and Kani Walker, two guys who were expected to compete for starting reps, transferred out of the program. Even USC transfer Jayden Williams, who signed with Louisville back in February, will not be making it to campus.

Those questions were largely answered when both Quincy Riley and Jarvis Brownlee, Jr. opted to transfer to Louisville. Both will compete for starting reps alongside Clark right out of gate, but it's likely Riley winds up winning this position battle here.

While with Middle Tennessee State, Riley was one of the top defensive backs in the Group of Five during the 2021 season. His five interceptions was tied for fourth in all of FBS, while also logging 14 pass defenses, four tackles for loss and a sack for the Blue Raiders. He's above average in coverage, and is a consistant tackler.

But don't count out Brownlee, as he was a key piece of the Florida State secondary in 2021. Playing in all 12 games with 11 starts, he was tied for second on the team in interceptions with two, and was second in the secondary in tackles with 51 - both behind First Team All-ACC safety Jammie Robinson. He's great in run defense, but what might cost him a starting gig over Riley is that he can be boom-or-bust in coverage. That being said, expect Louisville to go Clark-Riley-Brownlee when using a three corner look.

There aren't necessarily depth concerns behind that trio, but more so a question as to who will be the one who steps up the most when coming in as a substitute. One would hope that would be Chandler Jones, but he is coming off of a 2021 campaign in which he was not that effective despite seven pass breakups, or even properly utilized after seeing some time at safety. If he can get back to his 2019 form, where he had a team-best 11 passes defended, that would be a huge boost to the secondary.

Someone to potentially look out for, especially in nickelback sets, is Trey Franklin. His 10 tackles in 12 games doesn't jump off the page, but the former JUCO product a great two-game stretch vs. Virginia and Boston College when he snagged two interceptions, which wound up being second on the team behind Clark. If he can become an impact reserve, that will greatly help the secondary's ability to close out games.

Rance Conner and Derrick Edwards III will likely find themselves buried on the depth chart, but also could have the potential to surprise people when given the opportunity. Conner saw the field last year in limited opportunities and could translate that into fall camp, and Edwards clearly has been hitting the weight room. 

Overall, this is a position that *should* see improvement over last year, but still has plenty of lingering questions. Will Clark still be an elite ACC corner when he finally returns? How will Riley and Brownlee's talents translate to a new home? Can Jones have a bounce back year?

If every thing comes together, cornerback could be a relative strength for Louisville. If not, the Cardinals might have to rely on their offense winning shootouts. On paper, it seems like the position should be in line to rebound, but that's why they play the games.

Other Position Breakdowns:

• Quarterback
• Running Back
• Wide Receiver
• Tight End
• Offensive Line
• Defensive Line
• Outside Linebacker
• Inside Linebacker
• Safety
• Special Teams

(Photo of Kei'Trel Clark via University of Louisville Athletics)

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