ESPN Names Two Cardinals as Top 100 Players Heading Into 2024 Season

The Louisville football program's top two returners have been generating national buzz all offseason.

Oct 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive back Quincy Riley (3) breaks up a pass intended for Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Kenny Johnson (2) during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the 2024 college football season just around the corner, preseason watch list season is in full swing. Up to this point, the Louisville football program's top two returners - defensive end Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Quincy Riley - have been generating a plethora of preseason recognition.

As expected, when the folks at ESPN released their of the top 100 players in college football for the 2024 season, these two made the cut. Riley came in at No. 90, while Gillotte was ranked at No. 39.

Louisville is set to face 16 top 100 players this upcoming season, according to ESPN. Both Miami (OL Jalen Rivers - 97th, WR Xavier Restrepo - 66th, QB Cam Ward - 56th, RB Damien Martinez - 46th, DE Rueben Bain Jr. - 43rd) and Notre Dame (TE Mitchell Evans - 96th, QB Riley Leonard - 82th, S Xavier Watts - 52nd, DT Howard Cross III - 45th, CB Benjamin Morrison - 12th) sport five, Clemson (DT Peter Woods - 50th, LB Barrett Carter - 15th) and Kentucky (CB Maxwell Hairston - 84th, DT Deone Walker - 21st) boast two, while SMU (QB Preston Stone - 87th) and Jacksonville State (OL Clay Webb - 54th) feature one.

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 ninth on the single-season sack list in Louisville history. He earned First-Team All-ACC honors, was the runner-up in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting, and earned multiple Second-Team All-American nods.

Riley - who also started all 14 games - 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, the 6-foot-0, 185-pound defensive back was only voted as an All-ACC honorable mention.

Year two under head coach Jeff Brohm is scheduled to kick off against Austin Peay on Saturday, Aug. 31 at L&N Stadium.

(Photo of Quincy Riley: Charles LeClaire - USA TODAY Sports)

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