Projecting Louisville Football's 2023 Two-Deep Depth Chart

With spring practice about to kick off, we take an early guess as to what the Cardinals' two-deep depth chart will look like for their season opener.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Spring practice for the Louisville football program is just around the corner. While there are still some moving roster parts as Louisville head into year one of the Jeff Brohm era, it's never too early to take an educated guess as to who will start for the Cardinals when they venture down to Atlanta for their 2023 season opener against Georgia Tech.

Related: Who’s In, Who’s Out and Who’s Back for Louisville Football in 2023

There's still going to be a plethora of position battles throughout spring ball, summer workouts, and into fall camp. There's also likely going to be transfer portal action when the 15-day spring transfer portal window arrives in May. On top of that, Louisville will also be transitioning to a 4-2-5 defense under Ron English and Mark Hagen. A full breakdown of that scheme can be found here.

That being said, Louisville Report decided to take a shot at giving an early projection at the Cardinals' two-deep depth chart for the 2023 football season.

Quarterback

1. Jack Plummer (6-5, 215, Sr.)
2. Brock Domann (6-2, 228, Sr.)

Quick Hit: The Malik Cunningham era of Louisville football is now over, but we already know who's replacing him. Barring a combination of a complete collapse of his game and someone behind him lighting the world on fire, former Cal QB Jack Plummer will be the starter in 2023. When it comes to his backup, as of right now, Domann has the inside track over true freshman Pierce Clarkson considering he already has seen in-game reps.

Running Back

1. Jawhar Jordan (5-10, 180, R-Jr.)
2. Isaac Guerendo (6-0, 219, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Louisville's depth at running back isn't what it was last season, but there are still some deadly options for the Cardinals out of the backfield. Jordan is the clear cut option to start after leading UofL in rushing yards last season and ending the season strong. Guerendo is likely RB2 right now due to both his blazing speed and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, but Maurice Turner should get his fair share of reps, too.

Wide Receiver

1. Jamari Thrash (6-0, 180, R-Sr.)
2. Jimmy Calloway (6-0, 190, So.)

1. Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (5-10, 163, Jr.)
2. Kevin Coleman Jr. (5-11, 170, So.)

1. Jadon Thompson (6-2, 187, Jr.)
2. Chris Bell (6-2, 220, So.)

Quick Hit: The wide receiver room again has a lot of new faces, but Louisville has to feel much better about their passing game this time around thanks to some tremendous portal recruiting by Brohm. Thrash will be WR1 given how explosive he was at Georgia State, and Huggins-Bruce is a breakout candidate when taking into account his lack of usage under Satterfield and Brohm's success on offense. Thompson and Coleman, who are transfers from Cincinnati and Jackson State, respectively, should consist of the main receiver rotation.

Tight End

1. Dez Melton (6-3, 240, R-Jr.)
2. Francis Sherman (6-3, 234, R-Jr.)

Quick Hit: Given how the tight ends were mainly utilized as blockers in Scott Satterfield's scheme, it's going to be interesting to see how they adjust to a spread offense like Brohm's. Melton and Sherman did show brief flashes behind Marshon Ford, who is now pursuing an NFL career, but don't be surprised if true freshman Jamari Johnson throws his hat into the ring for TE1 considering he's more of a scheme fit.

Left Tackle

1. Michael Gonzalez (6-4, 309, Jr.)
2. Luke Burgess (6-8, 285, Fr.)

Quick Hit: Louisville does lose their starter here in Trevor Reid, but they're still in a pretty good spot at left tackle. Gonzalez actually graded out higher than Reid did, according to Pro Football Focus, and Burgess is the second-highest rated offensive line signee to play for the Cardinals.

Left Guard

1. John Paul Flores (6-4, 308, Jr.)
2. Madden Sanker (6-4, 305, Fr.)

Quick Hit: Like at left tackle, Louisville is also in relative good shape at left guard despite losing All-American Caleb Chandler. Flores gives the Cardinals starting ACC experience after transferring in from Virginia, plus Sanker has an incredibly high ceiling as the highest-ranked OL to ever sign with Louisville - who is also a dual-sport athlete as a wrestler.

Center

1. Bryan Hudson (6-4, 310, R-Sr.)
2. Austin Collins (6-3, 283, R-So.)

Quick Hit: Despite a ton of roster movement on the offensive line, center came out relatively unscathed. After grading as Louisville's top starter on the offensive line, Bryan Hudson is back for one last season in college. Collins hasn't seen much time since the 2020 finale, but he's still a serviceable lineman.

Right Guard

1. Joshua Black (6-2, 294, R-Jr.)
2. Aaron Gunn (6-4, 312, R-So.

Quick Hit: After losing starter Adonis Boone to graduation, this spot might have the most questions on the entire offensive line for Louisville. Black has only played in 10 total games since his freshman year in 2019, and Gunn has logged just one offensive snap in three years. This could be a spot where Sanker sees some time as well.

Right Tackle

1. Renato Brown (6-4, 317, R-Jr.)
2. Luke Burgess (6-8, 285, Fr.)

Quick Hit: Brown has progressed plenty since his freshman year, and getting him back for another year is huge from a continuity standpoint for the offensive line. However, depth at tackle is a bit of a concern, which could lead to Louisville giving double duty backup snaps to Burgess.

Defensive End

1. Ashton Gillotte (6-3, 270, Jr.)
2. Ramon Puryear (6-3, 268, R-Jr.)

Quick Hit: With Louisville losing so much production from their incredibly disruptive front seven, Gillotte will be leaned on heavily for his leadership and talent amongst this group. Puryear, a former walk-on, has been a solid depth piece since being put on scholarship in 2021

Nose Tackle

1. Dezmond Tell (6-1, 296, Jr.)
2. Jermayne Lole (6-2, 305, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Expect the position battle here to be a fierce one. Tell did step up his game last season, but it's Lole who has the most upside and NFL potential. In fact, he probably would have eventually become Louisville's starter at nose last season had he not suffered a season-ending wrist injury.

Defensive Tackle

1. Jared Dawson (6-1, 275, R-So.)
2. Rodney McGraw (6-5, 253, So.)

Quick Hit: Dawson had arguably the most underrated season by a Louisville defender last season, mainly because he didn't stuff the stat sheet. He was PFF's second-highest rated player of the 20 Louisville players who logged triple-digit defensive snaps. As for McGraw, time will tell if a new environment does well for him after spending such little time on the field at Penn State.

Leo (DE/LB)

1. Stephen Herron (6-3, 237, Sr.)
2. Mason Reiger (6-4, 254, Jr.)

Quick Hit: The loss of YaYa Diaby is huge for the defensive line, but bringing in Stanford's Stephen Herron - who played his high school ball here in Louisville at Trinity - softens the blow a little bit. Not to mention that Mason Reiger played a sizable role on last year's defense for someone who was put on scholarship just last year.

Middle Linebacker

1. K.J. Cloyd (6-2, 229, Sr.)
2. Kam Wilson (6-2, 229, R-So.)

Quick Hit: There's no other way to spin it: losing both Monty Montgomery and Dorian Jones was massive for the linebacker corps. Both Cloyd and Wilson will have to take a huge step forward in their games. Popeye Williams could also see some time at either LB spot, as well as over at the Leo position.

Weakside Linebacker

1. Jaylin Alderman (6-1, 226, Jr.)
2. Stanquan Clark (6-2, 215, Fr.)

Quick Hit: Alderman has been extremely quiet since his pick-six against UCF in 2021, and will also need to step his game up - otherwise either Cloyd or Wilson could fill in his spot at the risk of sacrificing scheme fit. But if there's any freshman who will see early playing time, it's Clark. He's that good.

STAR

1. Benjamin Perry
2. Gilbert Frierson

Quick Hit: Getting Perry to pull his name out of the transfer portal and return to the Cardinals was a huge recruiting win for Brohm, as he is tailor-made to play the STAR position. Frierson has also shown in the past at Miami that he can be an impact playmaker.

Cornerback

1. Quincy Riley
2. Marquis Groves-Killebrew

Quick Hit: Kei'Trel Clark is finally heading off to the NFL, but the cornerback room is still in relative good hands. In fact, Riley not only led Louisville in interceptions, but was their top-graded cover corner by PFF. Plus, former five-star prospect Groves-Killebrew is a huge boost to depth.

Cornerback

1. Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
2. Trey Franklin

Quick Hit: Brownlee was the epitome of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He gave up his fair share of receptions and targets, but also led the team in pass breakups by a wide margin. Franklin hasn't had much run recently, but has proven in the past to be a good nickelback.

Free Safety

1. M.J. Griffin
2. Devin Neal

Quick Hit: Louisville's defensive turnaround in the second half of the season can be mostly attributed to the front seven, but there's no denying that starting Griffin played a factor as well. Add a former starter at Baylor in Neal, and the Cardinals have great depth on the backend.

Strong Safety

1. Josh Minkins
2. Gilbert Frierson

Quick Hit: Minkins took a huge step forward last season, and is sure to play a large role in Louisville's success in the secondary next season. Frierson, as previously noted, adds to the overall versatility of the defense.

(Photo of Louisville Players: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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