Ashton Gillotte Continuing to Impress in Offseason

The true freshman defensive end for Louisville has been generating a lot of hype since arriving on campus, and that has continued into fall camp.

(Photo of Ashton Gillotte: University of Louisville Athletics)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Ever since he arrived on campus as an early enrollee back in January, Ashton Gillotte has been turning heads. The hype surrounding the true freshman defensive end began to pick up steam in spring practice, when the coaching staff took note of his athleticism and relentless effort.

As spring transitioned into summer, Gillotte hit the weight room hard. From arriving on campus to the start of fall camp earlier this week, he gained 40 pounds to his 6-foot-2 frame, and currently sits at 260. With all this added strength, he was able to power clean 405 pounds last month - a feat that landed him on The Athletic's annual 'Freaks List'.

True freshmen aren't typically put in a position where they will have a profound impact in their first year at the collegiate level, but Gillotte is slowly trending in that direction. In Louisville's preseason depth chart released last month, he was named as the backup defensive end, behind only YaYa Diaby.

"I didn't really expect too much, I actually didn't think I was going to be thrust into position I was, as fast as I was," Gillotte said in his first session with the media as a Cardinal. "But I definitely took what the coaches were giving me, and ran with it."

For defensive line coach Mark Ivey, Gillotte's ascent is only partially unexpected. He knew that they had signed a good crop of defensive linemen as part of the Class of 2021, but he knew that Gillotte had a chance to be special the moment he his the practice fields.

"He's been-not a surprise, I shouldn't say a surprise, but he's been a treat the whole time, because he is what what we thought he was, and maybe even more," Ivey said. "Then obviously, gained about 40-50 pounds, and he can still move. He's gonna be excellent."

As useful as it is be both strong and agile, it's all a waste if you can execute on the practice fields and consistently apply yourself to get better. Fortunately, Gillotte has not been one to worry about in this regard, and is constantly coming to Ivey for advice.

"He assumes that he's got to learn it inside out," Ivey said. "He is one of the guys that is constantly grabbing me, and asking this question or that question. He's very conscientious about how he does things, and not just trying to be an athletic kid."

Not only that, but his defensive line teammates have been helping him come along. Guys like Tabarius Peterson and YaYa Diaby have not only been pushing him in the weight room, but have also served as coaches in their own right, and collected helped the defensive line advance as a unit.

"From just simple play study film, all that stuff, and simple things such as footwork, they've helped me grow and progress, because you need that in the system," Gillotte said. "From spring, we definitely have gotten better. We've gotten a lot faster, we're moving off the ball, we're retaining more of our players which obviously allows you to go faster."

In his final season for Boca Raton (Fla.), the defensive end tallied 55 tackles and 10 sacks in just seven games. As a result, he was named Class 8A-6A Palm Beach Country Defensive Player of the Year by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, as well as the Palm Beach Post Defensive Player of the Year.

Louisville will start the 2021 season against Ole Miss in the annual Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game, down at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Kickoff is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 6 at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN.

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