11 Louisville Players Named to Senior Bowl Watch List

The Reese's Senior Bowl is one of the first steps of the NFL Draft process for upperclassmen.

Louisville’s Ja'Corey Brooks (1) runs to catch the ball during Spring Practice / Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - 11 members of the Louisville football program were named to the watch list for the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl, the organization announced Wednesday.

Quarterback Tyler Shough, wide receivers Ja'Corey Brooks and Caullin Lacy, tight end Mark Redman and offensive lineman Jonathan Mendoza made up the Cardinals' selections on the offensive side of the ball. Over on defense, defensive linemen Ashton Gillotte and Thor Griffith, plus defensive backs Tamarion McDonald, Tahveon Nicholson, Quincy Riley and Corey Thornton made the list.

The Reese's Senior Bowl is an annual pre-draft all-star exhibition that allows some of the top upperclassmen in college football to put their talents on display in front of NFL scouts and front office personnel. It takes place in Mobile, Ala. at Hancock Whitney Stadium, and is set for Feb. 1, 2025.

Brooks was limited to just three catches for 30 yards in nine games this past season due to a shoulder injury, but the Alabama transfer has proven himself in the past to be a valuable asset. During the 2022 season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound receiver hauled in 39 receptions for 674 yards and team-best eight touchdowns for the Crimson Tide.

Gillotte is one of the top defensive linemen - and players overall - in all of college football. Starting all 14 games last season, Gillotte collected 14.5 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and 45.0 tackles overall. He earned First-Team All-ACC honors, was the runner-up in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting, and also earned multiple Second-Team All-American nods.

Griffith was one of the best defensive tackles in all of the FCS this past season. Starting all 10 games, the 6-foot-2, 320-pound Harvard transfer collected a team-best 11.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, while also collecting 55 tackles overall, eight quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. He earned All-Ivy League First-Team honors for his efforts.

Lacy was one of the most prolific and explosive wide receivers in all of college football this past season earning First-Team All-Sun Belt honors in the process. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound South Alabama transfer caught 91 passes for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns, with the receptions mark good for fifth in the FBS and the yardage mark coming in at sixth.

McDonald was a multi-year starter at Tennessee before joining Louisville. Starting the first 10 games of the 2023 regular season before missing the final two due to injury, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound defensive back finished with 40 tackles (23 solo), 3.5 for loss, a sack, an interception and four pass breakups.

Mendoza was one of the best offensive linemen in the Ivy League this past season, finishing as a First-Team selection in the league. Starting all 10 games for Yale - the first four at right guard and the last six at left tackle - the hulking 6-foot-9 and 310-pound Yale transfer allowed only one sack, two quarterback hits and 11 hurries in 337 pass block snaps and 662 blocking snaps overall.

Nicholson was a regular component in the Illinois secondary for the past two seasons, and his coming off of his most productive year in college. Playing in all 12 regular season games in 2023 while starting 11, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound corner logged 36 tackles, two for loss, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Redman was one of the best tight ends in the Mountain West, being named a Second-Team All-Mountain West in each of his two seasons with San Diego State. The 6-foot-6, 255-pound tight end is coming off of the best season of his career, catching 37 passes for 394 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Aztecs in all three categories.

Riley, who started all 14 games for Louisville last year, finished the 2023 season with a team-best 12 pass breakups and second on the Cardinals in interceptions with three, leading the ACC in pass defenses with 15. However, while also collecting 49 tackles and 1.5 for loss in the process, the 6-foot-0, 195-pound defensive back was only voted as an All-ACC honorable mention.

While Shough has dealt with several injuries over the course of his career, when healthy, the Texas Tech/Oregon transfer has more than proven that he is a capable quarterback. In 26 career games, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound signal caller has completed 63.2 percent of his throws for 4,625 yards and 36 touchdowns to 17 interceptions, along with 714 yards and 10 scores on the ground. 

Thornton is coming off of his best coverage season at the college level. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback and UCF transfer hauled in three interceptions and logged nine pass breakups, while also finishing with 27 total tackles. 

(Photo of Ja'Corey Brooks: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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