Nine Louisville Players Named Athlon Sports Preseason All-ACC Selections

The Cardinals are tied for the seventh-most selections in the conference.

Louisville Cardinals defensive back Quincy Riley (3) / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Preseason watch list season is in full swing with the 2024 college football season just over two months away, and Athlon Sports is the latest to get into the mix.

They recently released their2024 Preseason All-ACC Teams, with nine members of the Louisville football program being recognized. They tied for the seventh-most selections in the now 17-member ACC. Florida State led the way with 17 selections.

Wide receiver Caullin Lacy, defensive end Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Quincy Riley headline the selections for Louisville. Lacy was named to the First-Team Offense, while Gillotte and Riley both made the First-Team Defense.

Offensive lineman Michael Gonzalez was named to the Second-Team Offense, while linebacker T.J. Quinn cracked the Second-Team Defense. Safety Devin Neal earned a Third-Team Defense nod right behind the two.

Running back Donald Chaney Jr., offensive lineman Renato Brown and safety M.J. Griffin round out Louisville's selections. Chaney and Brown made the Fourth-Team Offense, while Griffin made the Fourth-Team Defense.

Lacy was one of the most prolific and explosive wide receivers in all of college football last season. The 5-foot-10, 180-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. He took home First-Team All-Sun Belt honors for his efforts.

Starting all 14 games last season, Gillotte collected 14.5 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and 45.0 tackles overall. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound star edge rusher's sack total led the ACC, was good for eighth in the FBS, and finished ninth on the single-season sack list in Louisville history. Per Pro Football Focus, his 58 quarterback hurries were good for ninth in the FBS.

Last season, Riley established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the ACC. The 6-foot-0, 185-pound defensive back finished the 2023 season with a team-best 11 pass breakups and second on the Cardinals in interceptions with three, tying for the ACC lead with 14 pass defenses. However, while also collecting 49 tackles and 1.5 for loss in the process, he was only voted as an All-ACC honorable mention.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Gonzalez was Louisville's highest-graded pass blocker with a 77.9 grade last season, and was second behind center Bryan Hudson in run blocking with a 67.3 grade. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound left guard allowed just 14 pressures in 926 snaps across 14 starts.

Quinn had an enormous breakout campaign during the 2023 season. Starting all 14 games, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound inside linebacker collected a team-best 92 tackles, while also tallying 2.5 tackles for loss, half a sack, an interception and two pass deflections to earn an All-ACC honorable mention.

Neal was heavily relied on last season due to an injury to M.J. Griffin, and he delivered for the Cardinals. Playing in all 14 games with 13 starts, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound safety led the team in interceptions with four, while also logging 74 tackles, three for loss, six pass deflections and a fumble recovery. He earned Third-Team All-ACC honors.

A transfer from Miami, Chaney was an integral part to the Canes' running back by committee approach to the 2023 season. The 5-foot-10, 210 pound back saw action in 11 of their 12 regular season games with a pair of starts, rushing for 478 yards and two touchdowns on 94 attempts. He finished third on the team in rushing yards, but was only 101 yards behind the leader, Mark Fletcher Jr.

Prior to suffering a season-ending knee injury during pregame warmups ahead of their matchup vs. Pitt, Brown was a mainstay on Louisville's offensive line. Starting the first six games of the season, the 6-foot-4, 315-pound right guard allowed just one sack and six total pressures in 175 pass block snaps and 315 total blocking snaps.

Griffin will be making his return to the gridiron after having to miss the entire 2023 season due to a lower leg injury suffered in fall camp. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound defensive back played a key role in Louisville's defensive turnaround in 2022, logging 45 tackles, a pair of interceptions and a forced fumble despite seeing meaningful defensive playing time in only eight of the 13 games.

(Photo of Quincy Riley: Bob Donnan - USA TODAY Sports)

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