2023 Louisville Football Position Breakdown: Linebacker

While the Cardinals don't have a lot of depth at linebacker, there are a handful of proven playmakers here.

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 linebackers.

Position Roster Movement:

Returning (5): Jaylin Alderman, Jackson Hamilton, Benjamin Perry, T.J. Quinn, Antonio Watts
Departing (7): Yasir Abdullah (Graduation), K.J. Cloyd (Transfer - Miami), Marvin Dallas (Graduation), Dorian Jones (Transfer - Cincinnati), Monty Montgomery (Transfer - Ole Miss), MoMo Sanogo (Graduation), Allen Smith (Transfer - TBD)
Incoming (3): Keith Brown (Transfer - Oregon), Stanquan Clark (HS), Gilbert Frierson (Transfer - Miami)

Projected Depth Chart:

Middle Linebacker

1. Keith Brown (6-1, 235, Jr.)
2. Jaylin Alderman (6-1, 230, Jr.)
3. Stanquan Clark (6-2, 225, Fr.)

Weakside Linebacker

1. T.J. Quinn (6-0, 230, R-So.)
2. Jackson Hamilton (6-0, 220, R-So.)

STAR

1. Benjamin Perry (6-3, 205, R-So.)
2. Gilbert Frierson (6-1, 215, R-Sr.)
3. Antonio Watts (6-2, 225, So.)

Breakdown:

Over the course of the Scott Satterfield era, the linebacker position had been one of the biggest positive constants on the defensive side of the ball. Last season, it was the driving force behind one of the most disruptive defenses in all of college football.

The trio of Yasir Abdullah, Monty Montgomery and MoMo Sanogo gave opposing backfields nightmares on a weekly basis, combining for 22 tackles, 35 tackles for loss and 20 sacks. With this position group leading the charge, Louisville finished the 2022 season as the FBS leader in sacks per game at 3.85, while also coming in at seventh in tackles for loss per game with 7.5.

But for the first year of the Jeff Brohm era, the linebacker position is going to be wildly different for a multitude of reasons. Like we did with the defensive line in this breakdown series, before we dive into the changes from a player standpoint, we're going to take another look as to how different this area of the field will look from a schematically speaking.

As you might know by now, the old 3-4 system ran by former defensive coordinator Bryan Brown is being replaced by a 4-2-5 scheme that is being co-operated by Ron English and Mark Hagen. With this new system, the base package will feature two starting linebackers instead of four.

The two linebackers in this base scheme is your standard inside linebacker duo. One is a middle linebacker - which is the bigger and stronger of the two, and operates pretty much like a strong side linebacker - and the other is a weak side linebacker. For those that don't know, strong side means you line up on the side of the field where the opposing tight end is aligned, and the weak side is on the other side of the box.

In this scheme, there is technically a third 'backer, but he is not your traditional inside linebacker. It's a linebacker/safety hybrid called the "STAR" (also known as the ROVER in similar schemes), and this player can be aligned almost anywhere on the field: on the line, in the box, as a slot corner, you name it. It's similar to the "CARD" position in the previous scheme, but with a lot more versatility in the alignment.

Arguably the biggest X's and O's difference here is that linebackers are utilized in a much different way. Under Bryan Brown's scheme, the linebackers were the ones that typically went for the havoc plays such as sacks and tackles for loss. In this system, it's the opposite, as this job is now tasked with the defensive line. The linebackers mainly serve to clean up plays should the linemen not get home.

Alright, now onto the actual players. Not only is Louisville changing up how they use their linebackers, but most of their top players at this position from last season - especially at inside linebacker - are gone. Abdullah is now in the NFL, Sanogo graduated and Montgomery shockingly transferred to Ole Miss. Even Dorian Jones - who was a key depth piece - opted to follow Satterfield to Cincinnati, and K.J. Cloyd - who was projected to be a starter next season after other LB dominoes fell - stunningly transferred to Miami after spring ball.

As a result, Louisville does not have a ton of returning experience at this position. In fact, the Cardinals' five returning linebackers combined for just 65 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and three pass breakups, with most of these stats coming from Benjamin Perry. While the linebacking corps is the weak spot on the defense, when taking a closer look, it's not in complete dire straits like one would think.

First, we'll take a look at the two traditional inside linebacker spots. With Louisville losing their top three players at this position, landing a starter via the portal was a must. They got that in Keith Brown, who spent his first two years at Oregon, and tallied 21 tackles (12 solo) plus one tackle for loss last season as the Ducks' go-to reserve in a crowded middle linebacker room. In the opportunities he received, the former top-100 prospect demonstrated excellence in run support, while also holding his own in coverage.

T.J. Quinn will likely start at weakside linebacker next to Brown in the middle of the field, considering he is Louisville's most experienced returning inside linebacker. The converted safety appeared in all 13 games last season as a reserve, logging 18 tackles and half a TFL in the process. Quinn could be in line for a breakout season this fall, as he made major strides in spring ball. He was the spring game MVP after logging a game-high eight tackles and snagging an interception. Not only has he improved his ability to tackle and overall physicality, his background as a defensive back is starting to come through when in pass coverage.

Beyond those two starters, there are legitimate questions about depth. While linebackers coach Mark Ivey has liked what he has seen from both Jaylin Alderman and Jackson Hamilton, neither are very experienced. Alderman did have his legendary pick six against UCF in 2021, but he was eventually usurped by Dorian Jones in the rotation that season, and didn't play at all last year. While Hamilton did play some last year, he only logged four tackles. Both players looked solid in the spring, but will have to continue taking big steps forward in fall camp so that inside linebacker is not a huge weakness.

Partially because of the aforementioned paragraph, Stanquan Clark is, without a doubt, the top candidate on the entire team to receive significant playing time as a true freshman. Not only are there depth questions at the position, Clark arguably had the best spring out of all the early enrollee freshmen. Sure, he had the standard "freshmen moments" from time to time, but for the most part, he looked incredibly comfortable and was very consistent with open field tackling. Even if issues arrive with injuries or inconsistencies with the players in front of him, Clark should have a sizable role in 2023.

Now let's take a look at the STAR position in this defense. While there are questions aplenty about the middle of the field at the inside linebacker spot, the main players at STAR provide a healthy mix of talent, experience and potential.

One of the biggest transfer portal wins by Brohm and his staff this offseason was when they convinced Benjamin Perry to pull his name out of the portal. Not only did he finish the 2022 season with 43 tackles (31 solo and one for loss) and three pass breakups, he demonstrated in the spring that he is the perfect player to slide into this position. He looked tremendous when dropping into pass coverage, played aggressive and physical when close to the line of scrimmage, and was one of the best open field tacklers all spring. Perry will likely be the X-Factor for the entire defense.

But don't expect Perry to command all the snaps at this position. Miami transfer Gilbert Frierson will also get plenty of run, as he also looked physical in the spring and was underrated in coverage. He has also proven in the past that he can be an impact playmaker, combining for 94 tackles, 12.5 for loss and three sacks over the 2020 and 2021 seasons

Another one to watch here is Antonio Watts, as he was one of the brightest defensive standouts in spring ball. Whether it was in pass coverage or in the box against the run, Watts made play after play in the open practices, with him and Clark each logging a game-high 1.5 tackles for loss in the spring game. It wouldn't be surprising to even see him get some reps at the traditional inside linebacker spots, too, considering he did see some run in here in spring ball.

Overall, while linebacker is not a relative strength of the defense due to depth concerns at the traditional inside linebacker spots, the room as a whole isn't as bad as many perceive it to be. There are a couple proven playmakers, especially at STAR, and a few others have a lot of potential both in the short and long term.

But should this be a position group that gets ravaged by injuries like running back was last season, then there will be some serious cause for concern. Especially if guys who are embracing bigger roles for next season don't quite step up to the plate.

Other Position Breakdowns:

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

(Photo of Benjamin Perry: Joe Robbins - Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter