2023 Louisville Football Position Breakdown: Defensive Line

The Cardinals head into the 2023 season with both talent and depth on the defensive line.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As we inch closer to the start of the 2023 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 defensive line.

Position Roster Movement:

Returning (13): Selah Brown, Victoine Brown, Ryheem Craig, Jared Dawson, Ashton Gillotte, Jermayne Lole, Ramon Puryear, Mason Reiger, R.J. Sorenson, Dezmond Tell, Tawfiq Thomas, Popeye Williams, Kameron Wilson
Departing (4): Caleb Banks (Transfer - Florida), Henry Bryant (Transfer - Georgia State), YaYa Diaby (Graduation), Zach Edwards (Transfer - Troy)
Incoming (7): Micah Carter (HS), Jeffery Clark (Transfer - Georgia State), Saadiq Clements (HS), Adonijah Green (HS), Stephen Herron (Transfer - Stanford), Rodney McGraw (Transfer - Penn State), William "Woo" Spencer (HS

Projected Depth Chart:

Defensive End

1. Ashton Gillotte (6-3, 270, Jr.)
2. Mason Reiger (6-4, 250, Jr.)
3. Victoine Brown (6-4, 250, R-So.)
4. R.J. Sorenson (6-4, 260, R-So.)
5. Ryheem Craig (6-3, 235, R-So.)

Defensive Tackle

1. Dezmond Tell (6-1, 290, Jr.)
2. Jeffery Clark (6-0, 280, R-Jr.)
3. Ramon Puryear (6-3, 260, R-Jr.)
4. Rodney McGraw (6-6, 260, So.)
5. Saadiq Clements (6-5, 265, Fr.)

Nose Tackle

1. Jared Dawson (6-2, 305, R-So.)
2. Tawfiq Thomas (6-4, 310, So.)
3. Jermayne Lole (6-3, 320, Gr.)
4. Selah Brown (6-2, 285, So.)
5. William "Woo" Spencer (6-5, 315, Fr.)

Leo

1. Stephen Herron (6-4, 240, R-Sr.)
2. Popeye Williams (6-3, 245, So.)
3. Kameron Wilson (6-2, 220, R-So.)
4. Adonijah Green (6-6, 225, Fr.)
5. Micah Carter (6-5, 260, Fr.)

Breakdown:

For the last two years of the Bobby Petrino era and the first three years of the Scott Satterfield era, the defensive line for Louisville was an area of the field that was mired in mediocrity. There were a handful of moments over this half-decade span where the line did show improvement or promise, but for the most part, this was a unit that left a lot to be desired.

In 2022, the defensive line as a whole finally put together the impact season that they were capable of making. By season's end, the D-Line helped Louisville become one of the most disruptive in all of college football. The Cardinals led all of the FBS in sacks per game at 3.85 and were seventh in tackles for loss per game at 7.5, which was the driving factor behind UofL finishing 23rd in total defense at 330.2 yards allowed per game.

Sure, most of that defensive success did come from the linebacking corps. Yasir Abdullah put a bowtie on his Cardinals career with another phenomenal pass-rushing campaign, while inside 'backers Monty Montgomery and MoMo Sanogo were also big contributors to the sack and tackle for loss totals. However, the complimentary football played by the D-Line and linebackers allowed both to flourish, especially in the second half of the season.

While the defensive line does lose their leader in YaYa Diaby, who was drafted in the third round of April's NFL Draft by the Buccaneers, there is reason to believe that this unit can be just as productive and dominant in 2023. Louisville limited the amount of impact departures via the transfer portal, retained several quality pieces, and brought in multiple immediate and long term contributors.

Before we breakdown the actual players, let's dive into how different the line will look from a schematic standpoint. Out with Bryan Brown's 3-4 defensive system, and in with Ron English/Mark Hagen's 4-2-5 system. With this new system, the base package will feature four starting defensive linemen instead of three.

In the middle of the line, this system has both a nose tackle and a defensive tackle, unlike the 3-4 which just has the nose tackle. In this scheme, the bigger nose tackle usually lines up in a one-technique (over the shoulder of the center) while the slightly smaller defensive tackle lines up in a three-technique (over the outside shoulder of the offensive guard).

Then you have the two defensive ends that typically line up on the outside shoulders of the offensive tackles. In this system, one of them is your standard three-point stance defensive end, and the other is what is called a "Leo." Essentially, this is a defensive end/linebacker hybrid who instead of putting his hand in the dirt, will rush the backfield standing up. It's similar to the "DOG" position in the previous system, although it's not an outside linebacker position considering there are no dropbacks into coverage.

Besides lining up in a different way, the defensive line's overall role is drastically different in this system. Under Bryan Brown's scheme, the defensive line was largely tasked to eat up blocks and set the linebackers up to make plays. In this system, the defensive linemen are the ones who typically go for the havoc plays (sacks, TFLs), while the linebackers clean up behind them.

Now we can breakdown the actual players/positions. We'll start with the two defensive end spots, considering this will be the strength of the line next season. Here, the conversation starts with true defensive end Ashton Gillotte. Not only is Gillotte one of the best returners on the defense, he has a case for one of the best returners/overall players on the entire team. He logged 7.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks to lead all returners, while also tallying 23 overall tackles (11 solo) and two fumble recoveries.

Gillotte has an insane motor that he has displayed since day one at UofL, while his strength and pass rush tool box only continues to get better. Now that he does have to face as many double teams in this new scheme, there is a chance for a massive breakout this upcoming season. During spring ball, while this could be an indictment on the offensive line before the post-spring transfer additions, there were times Gillotte looked absolutely unblockable.

Behind Gillotte, there are a couple players at his position who have a great chance to see regular run as Louisville works to rotate bodies and keep starters fresh. Former walk-on Mason Reiger quietly put together a seven TFL season in 2022 and could look to build on that, while Victoine Brown took big strides during the spring. R.J. Sorenson is someone else that also looked good in spring ball, but I would imagine Brown is ahead of him on the depth chart right now. Even Ryheem Craig could be someone to watch, as he did log a TFL in the spring game.

Now to the other end of the line at the new "Leo" spot. As good as Gillotte is at the traditional defensive end spot, this position is a little deeper and probably has more upside as it pertains to overall production.

The likely starter here is newcomer Stephen Herron. Coming over from Stanford, the Trinity HS alum led the Cardinal in sacks with 5.5, while also logging 37 total tackles (17 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss, four quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. While he had a bit of a slow start to spring ball, he finished strong, cementing his case as the starter here with his ability to penetrate the offensive line.

But don't expect Herron to command all the snaps at this position. In fact, barring Herron putting together an All-American caliber season, I fully expect the Leo spot to regularly rotate players. Given the pure raw talent that Popeye Williams possesses, not to mention that he performed exceptionally well in the spring (had two TFLs in the spring game), he will likely be the first one to relieve Herron.

After Herron and Williams, Kameron Wilson and true freshman Adonijah Green also have a high probability of getting decent playing time. Wilson is a converted "DOG" linebacker from the previous scheme who actually took some first team reps during spring ball, while coaches have been very high on Green's long-term potential.

Now let's take a look at the interior of the defensive line. While it's not as deep as the edges are, there are still several quality playmakers here that will be vital to Louisville's overall success on defense. As for the two starters in the middle, they are likely going to be Dezmond Tell at defensive tackle and Jared Dawson at nose tackle.

While he tallied only 4.5 tackles for loss and and two sacks lasts season, Tell was an unsung hero of the defensive line. He was regularly tasked to eat up blocks to pave way for the linebackers last season, while also doing a good job on his own of collapsing the pocket. 

Dawson had arguably the most underrated season by a Louisville defender last season, mainly because he didn't stuff the stat sheet. While he only had 3.0 TFLs and 2.5 sacks, he was the second-highest rated UofL defender with triple digits snaps according to Pro Football Focus, with a grade of 77.3. He looked good during the spring, and also put on a ton of weight to make him even more of a factor inside.

Unlike in seasons past, Louisville heads into 2023 with solid depth in the middle of the defensive line, even as they transition to a system that features two starting interior linemen. The immediate backups to both Tell and Dawson should see consistent playing time not only because of a need to keep the aforementioned fresh, but because they can makes plays too.

Jeffery Clark was a great portal addition, as he not only has starting experience/production, but also has position versatility. In his final year at Georgia State, he tallied a team-best 9.5 tackles for loss, came in second on the team in sacks with 4.5, and collected a career-high 39 total tackles. In this scheme, he can play both on the interior at defensive tackle, or even on the edge at the traditional defensive end spot.

The likely backup nose tackle, Tawfiq Thomas, could be in line for a breakout year. After not having much of a role on defense last year as a true freshman, he received a healthy amount of first and second team snaps in the spring, and looked like a wrecking ball at times.

However, the X-Factor for the entire defensive line is, without a doubt, Jermayne Lole. He has NFL-caliber talent, and was once regarded as one of the top interior lineman in all of college football.

The issue here is that Lole can't seem to stay healthy. He had to miss the entire 2021 season due to a fall camp triceps injury while at Arizona State, played in only one game last season with the Cardinals after suffering a season-ending elbow injury in the opener, and still appeared to be dealing with an injury in spring ball. If he can both stay healthy and still remain the game-wrecker that he was as a Sun Devil, that drastically improves what Louisville can accomplish defensively.

Beyond the two-deep in the middle, there's a chance that Ramon Puryear and Selah Brown see an uptick in their overall roles. Both are former defensive ends that bulked up and changed positions to the inside, and both received some run with the first team in spring ball.

The one player here who I don't foresee being much of a factor is Rodney McGraw. He wasn't that productive at Penn State, and he was hit-or-miss in the spring. As for true freshmen Saadiq Clements and Woo Spencer, they are prime redshirt candidates considering the depth Louisville has in the middle, but should be impact players down the line.

When looking at the defensive line as a whole, Louisville has to feel good, maybe even great, about the state that it's in. While there is still a huge question as to how this unit will perform as they transition to a system where they are primary playmakers and not just guys who eat up blocks, they have multiple players on the roster that are either capable of making that jump, or have already done so.

Given how thin the linebacker room is for the Cardinals, this position living up to what they can accomplish - and potentially matching what the linebackers did in 2022 under the old scheme as it pertains to overall disruption - will be paramount for defensive success. 

Other Position Breakdowns:

• Quarterback
• Running Back
• Wide Receiver
• Tight End
• Offensive Line
• Linebacker
• Cornerback
• Safety
• Special Teams

(Photo of Ashton Gillotte: Matt Stone - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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