Jeff Brohm Eager to Get Ahmari Huggins-Bruce Re-Integrated into Louisville's Offense

The receiver re-joined the Cardinals roughly a week prior to their season opener.

Sep 1, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (9) runs the ball against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It's certainly been an eventful offseason for Ahmari Huggins-Bruce.

The wide receiver spent his first three years in college with the Louisville football program, but soon after the end of the 2023 season, the Cardinals wideout was one of the first players to hit the transfer portal. He eventually committed to South Carolina in January, and while there were plenty of rumors that he could re-enter the portal in the spring window and leave the Gamecocks, that never came to fruition.

Well, at least until a couple weeks ago.

Back on Aug. 22, a little over a week until Louisville's season-opener, Huggins-Bruce re-enrolled at the University of Louisville, and South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer confirmed that he was no longer part of the Gamecocks' football team. A few days later, Louisville officially announced that Huggins-Bruce had returned to the program.

While the manner that Huggins-Bruce wound up coming back to Louisville was certainly unorthodox, and there were some eligibility hurdles that the Cardinals had to clear to make his return happen, Brohm is excited to have AHB back on campus and is eager to get him re-integrated into the offense and program as a whole.

"It's great to have him back on the team," he said earlier this week. "I think he's happy to be here. He's got some good buddies on this team that he's always kept in contact with. He wants to play football.

"Getting him back, there were some things we had to go through to get him eligible, and to get everything cleared - which didn't happen to the last minute, so he wasn't able to practice a whole lot. I think as we continue to progress through the season, you'll see him out there more and more."

In this day and age, most coaches would be understandably hesitant to welcome back a player who had opted to jump ship. But of course, not all decisions to transfer are treated equal (see Peny Boone). Brohm felt that, because of his playmaking ability, his chemistry with the team, and most importantly the lack of animosity when Huggins-Bruce did enter the portal, he felt more than comfortable welcoming the speedster back.

"Sometimes when people leave, it's not like we want them to make a change, but they have to do things that's best for them," he said. "That's what he chose to do. Having him come back, we knew that this guy can make plays for us.

"We're happy to get him back on the on the field. When he's bouncing around with energy, and understands what he's doing, I think he can really help us win. His teammates like him, he gets along with all of them, so I think he could be a big addition. But we got to make sure we kind of understand what he's really good at, and try to get him the ball those ways."

As Brohm eluded to, getting the 5-foot-11, 170-pound slot receiver back at Louisville is not an insignificant development. During his first three years as a Cardinal, he was a regular fixture of the passing attack, if not a touch under-utilized. Across 39 career games and 12 starts, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound speedster hauled in 80 receptions for 1,121 yards and 10 touchdowns, along with 11 rushes for 67 yards and a score.

The Dillon, SC. native burst onto the scene as a true freshman, catching 29 passes for 44 yards and four touchdowns. However, his overall usage and production did decrease over the next two seasons. He caught 31 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns in 2022, then just 20 passes for 312 yards and four scores in his first season under Brohm.

That being said, the timing of Huggins-Bruce's return could not have been much better. Just five days before he re-enrolled at UofL, slot receiver Caullin Lacy - one of Louisville's top players on the overall roster - suffered a broken collarbone during the final day of fall camp, and is set to miss an "extended period of time."

Of course, there is still going to be an acclimation period with Huggins-Bruce even with his experience in Brohm's system and his familiarity with half the roster. In Louisville's opener against Austin Peay, and game where nearly the entire bench was emptied, he played just nine total snaps and logged only a nine-yard catch.

But moving forward, expect AHB's role on the offense to continue moving forward at a relatively fast pace.

"He's fast, he's got speed," Brohm said. "He's been in our offense before, so even though he has been gone a while, I think we can get him back up to speed, but we got to get him some touches as well. Because I do think when he knows what to do, and he's playing fast, he can be very productive for your team.

"I think he's eager to get on the field. He understands, 'Hey, this is where I want to be. I feel good around this team, these guys, the coaches here,' and he loves this university and town. I think you know, you'll see him more and more as we progress throughout the season, and hopefully we can see him more this week as well."

Louisville's will face Jacksonville State this weekend for their first matchup against an FBS opponent this season. Kickoff against the Gamecocks is set for Saturday, Sept. 7 at 3:30 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Ahmari Huggins-Bruce: Brett Davis - USA TODAY Sports)

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