Projecting Louisville Football's 2022 Two-Deep Depth Chart
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Spring practice for the Louisville football program might not start for a few more days, but it's never too early to take an educated guess as to who will start for the Cardinals when they venture up to Syracuse to for their 2022 season opener.
Related: Who’s In, Who’s Out and Who’s Back for Louisville Football
There's still going to be a plethora of position battles throughout the remainder of spring ball, summer workouts, and even into fall camp, and maybe even transfer portal action. That being said, Louisville Report decided to take a shot at giving an early projection at the Cardinals' two-deep depth chart for the 2022 football season.
Quarterback
Malik Cunningham (6-1, 190, R-Sr.)
Khalib Johnson (6-2, 210, Fr.)
Quick Hit: Obviously, Cunningham is going to be the guy in charge of running the offense after nearly putting up a 20/20 season. The real question is who will be his backup, and right now, I'm taking Johnson. Evan Conley will miss most of the spring due to offseason surgery, and didn't look that great in 2021 to begin with, and we saw very little of Brock Domann. The staff seems to be very high on Johnson, so I could see him getting the majority of the backup reps.
Running Back
Jalen Mitchell (5-10, 214, R-So.)
Tiyon Evans (5-11, 210, Jr.)
Quick Hit: Louisville's running back room is loaded with talent, to the point where you almost have no wrong answers when it comes to picking a starter. As of now, I'm picking Mitchell to be the starter heading into spring practice due to familiarity, but I would not be one but shocked if Evans was the guy getting the majority of reps. Expect a heavy dose of Trevion Cooley as well.
Wide Receiver (X)
Tyler Hudson (6-2, 197, Jr.)
Dee Wiggins (6-3, 195, Jr.)
Quick Hit: Hudson has breakout potential written all over him. He was an FCS All-American in his last season at Central Arkansas, and has the skillset necessary to make the transition to Power Five. Wiggins has proven in the past he can make plays, but was up and down at Miami.
Wide Receiver (Y)
Braden Smith (5-10, 192, Jr.)
Josh Johnson (5-11, 187, Gr.)
Quick Hit: It's hard to state how much of a blow it was to lose Smith for most of the 2021 season, and his return to the lineup is also vastly understated considering he was arguably their best receiver heading into the 2021 season. Josh Joshson had flashes of brilliance last season, but got lost in the shuffle in the second half of the year.
Wide Receiver (Z)
Tyler Harrell (6-0, 197, R-Jr.)
Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (5-10, 163, So.)
Quick Hit: Yes, its always a big blow to lose your two top wide receivers like Louisville did. But when you have speed and RAC threats like Tyler Harrell and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce coming back, Louisville should be fine. Honestly, it's hard to even truly decide who would start over the other, but we'll go with the more experienced one.
Tight End
Dez Melton (6-3, 240, R-So.)
Duane Martin (6-2, 255, So.)
Quick Hit: Time will tell if Louisville gets any tight end not named Marshon Ford more involved in their passing game. But from a blocking perspective, Melton and Martin both did solid jobs last season.
H-Back
Marshon Ford (6-2, 240, R-So.)
Isaac Martin (6-1, 251, R-Jr.)
Quick Hit: One of the most underrated tight ends in FBS football is back yet again. Coming on originally as a walk on, Ford has dominated both in the passing and blocking game. Martin should get some more playing time this season, but Ford will get most of the reps.
Left Tackle
Trevor Reid (6-5, 307, Sr.)
Michael Gonzalez (6-4, 305, So.)
Quick Hit: With Adonis Boone making the move to right guard last year, Reid looked really good in a more consistant role. What was a really good surprise here was how good Michael Gonzalez looked as a true freshman. Reid is super athletic, but Gonzalez will see plenty of run.
Left Guard
Caleb Chandler (6-4, 300, R-Sr.)
Luke Kandra (6-4, 214, So.)
Quick Hit: Louisville was already bringing back a fair amount of talent on their offensive line, but bringing back Chandler for one final year was a huge boost. You don't get named a First Team All-ACC selection for nothing. The staff also really like the potential from Luke Kandra as well.
Center
Bryan Hudson (6-4, 310, R-Jr.)
Austin Collins (6-3, 283, So.)
Quick Hit: Losing Cole Bentley does hurt a bit, but Bryan Hudson did a great job last year on the line bouncing between center and guard as the line's go-to "sixth man," and should elevate to starter with Bentley's departure. Austin Collins hasn't seen much run since being named a starter in the 2020 finale, but he's still serviceable.
Right Guard
Adonis Boone (6-5, 295, Sr.)
Joshua Black (6-2, 294, R-So.)
Quick Hit: Boone's transition from left tackle to right guard isn't appreciated enough, and he was honestly one of the more underrated players on the offensive line. Black probably won't see much action, but not because of his own efforts.
Right Tackle
Renato Brown (6-4, 317, R-So.)
Michael Gonzalez (6-5, 305, Jr.)
Quick Hit: Brown certainly progressed a lot and did a fair amount of maturing since his freshman year. But like at left tackle, don't be surprised to see Gonzalez take some reps here as well, mainly because Jack Bicknell wants to rely on a 7-8 man rotation on the line
Defense
Defensive End
YaYa Diaby (6-4, 270, Sr.)
Ramon Puryear (6-3, 268, R-So.)
Quick Hit: Diaby might have fallen well short of his lofty 10-sack goal that he set prior to the 2021 season, but started to turn it on towards the end of the season. Puryear was put on scholarship right before the start of the last season, and could be a breakout candidate.
Nose Tackle
Dezmond Tell (6-1, 285, So.)
Henry Bryant (5-11, 270, So.)
Quick Hit: Regardless of who starts here, nose tackle is a spot where Louisville must get production. Tell and Bryant were good in spurts, but will need to be more productive in 2022. Another name to watch here could be Caleb Banks, who is now over 300lbs.
Defensive End
Ashton Gillotte (6-2, 265, So.)
Zach Edwards (6-3, 265, R-So.)
Quick Hit: If Gillotte was able to stay healthy the entire season, he might have been an All-Freshman ACC selection. He was arguably the top true freshman last season with 8.0 TFL's and 4.0 sacks, and could burst onto the scene next year.
Outside Linebacker (Card)
Marvin Dallas (6-1, 190, Sr.)
Benjamin Perry (6-2, 212, So.)
Quick Hit: Dallas developed a reputation as hard hitter, working his way from special teams to carve out a role on defense. But an issue remains that the OLB room is very thin, to the point where only four are on the roster. Fortunately, Perry - a converted safety - has experience playing this position in high school, so it should be a seamless transition.
Weakside Linebacker
MoMo Sanogo (6-1, 227, R-Sr.)
Dorian Jones (6-0, 235, R-So.)
Quick Hit: Losing C.J. Avery is a massive blow the overall defense, but it's hard to do much better in the transfer portal than grabbing an SEC guy with starting experience. Dorian Jones also benefitted immensely from Monty Montgomery going down, and will give Louisville options in the middle of the field.
Middle Linebacker
Monty Montgomery (5-11, 220, R-Sr.)
K.J. Cloyd (6-2, 221, Jr.)
Quick Hit: Perhaps one of the biggest "what if?'s of the season was what if Monty Montgomery was healthy for the entire year? With all the close losses, you could make the argument that Louisville could have gone 8-4 and not 6-6 in the regular season. He's that good of a playmaker. Cloyd has sack potential, as his JUCO film showed, but will need to step it up a bit if Montgomery isn't a full go by the opener.
Outside Linebacker (Dog)
Yasir Abdullah (6-1, 235, Sr.)
Kam Wilson (6-2, 228, So.)
Quick Hit: The second-biggest news (Cunningham) of the offseason as it pertained to a player opting to stay and not declare for the NFL or transfer, was when Abdullah said he was coming back. With Montgomery back to attract defensive attention, Abdullah could very well produce the one of the best seasons of all time a Louisville defender.
Cornerback
Kei'Trel Clark (5-10, 180, Jr.)
Trey Franklin (5-10, 180, Jr.)
Quick Hit: Clark's decision to return for another year is a massive one for Louisville, considering he is the best man-to-man corner on the team by a country mile, and could be Louisville's top NFL Draft prospect in 2023 alongside Caleb Chandler. Franklin looked really good through the middle part of the season, and will likely be the starting nickelback.
Cornerback
Chandler Jones (5-10, 186, Sr.)
Jayden Williams (6-1, 195, R-So.)
Quick Hit: Jones might be the more tenured player here, but he very well could enter 2022 as a backup. Bouncing between corner and safety, he got burned badly several times. Williams didn't play a ton on defense for USC, but stats show that he didn't give up much when quarterbacks threw his way.
Free Safety
Kenderick Duncan (6-3, 206, R-Sr.)
Josh Minkins (6-2, 196, So.)
Quick Hit: With all the safety turnover Louisville had last offseason, it's a breathe of fresh air to see this position have some consistency. Duncan brings back solid experience, and Minkins was starting to find his groove once he returned from injury
Strong Safety
Jalen Alexander (5-11, 160, Sr.)
M.J. Griffin (6-1, 212, So.)
Quick Hit: This could be a position battle to monitor over the summer. Alexander brings with him a plethora of Power Five experience (yes, Duke is Power Five), and Temple transfer M.J. Griffin had a solid career with the Owls
(Photo of Ahmari Huggins-Bruce: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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