DL Ramon Puryear Ready to 'Put On a Show' for Louisville in 2023
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When you think of the defensive line for the Louisville football program, a few names immediately come to mind. Ashton Gillotte is one of the top returners on the entire team and has All-ACC potential, Stephen Herron was one of the Cardinals' top transfer portal acquisitions, and younger guys like Popeye Williams and Adonijah Green appear to have bright futures ahead of them.
That being said, a defensive lineman to keep an eye on heading into the 2023 season is Ramon Puryear. Heading into what will be his redshirt junior campaign, Puryear isn't short on motivation to perform at a high level.
"I come in motivated every day,' Puryear said. "I want to get better, I want to win. I want to put on a show for these fans, a show for this university, a show for the city. It's been really easy for me to just be able to hone in, get better with my technique, better my with pad level, my punch and my get-off every day."
Part of this motivation comes from a rejuvenated sense of pride for his hometown. A Louisville native and Eastern HS alum, Puryear has loved seeing the dramatic increase in interest and buzz that has come as a result of fellow Derby City native and alum Jeff Brohm take over as the head coach.
"It's really crazy," he said. "Growing up in the city, I've always been a Louisville fan. I grew up watching the Brohms, watching Teddy Bridgewater and Lamar Jackson. It's been really insane being able to have him back in the city, and seeing the excitement in the city and the locker room."
Of course, part of this motivation comes from his progress made on the field as well. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound lineman has taken a significant step forward over the offseason. It started in the spring, where his efforts in spring ball eventually resulted in him starting in the spring game. This momentum has carried over the summer and into the fall, where he has earned a fair amount of reps with the first team, and looked good doing it.
On top of that, he has done so in a slightly different capacity than what he has been accustomed to in the past. After being a true defensive end for the majority of his time at Louisville, Puryear has transitioned to the interior of the line and is now primarily a defensive tackle.
While Puryear still does see some action on the edge from time-to-time, he has enjoyed the switch to different position on the line, and thinks it is able to showcase more of his skill set and overall talent.
"I think it's been well," he said of the transition from end to tackle. "Being able to use my athleticism, my get-off, my twitch, has helped excel. I think certain packages moving me from a three-technique, to a 4i, to working on the edge, that's gonna help my versatility. You're gonna see it on the film."
Puryear has had quite a journey up to this point. He joined the Cardinals back in 2019 as an undersized true freshman, and did so as a preferred walk-on. Despite not being on scholarship, Puryear got in the mix early. He saw action in three games during his true freshman season, then during the 2020 COVID year, he played in 11 games including a pair of starts. He recorded eight tackles and 1.5 for loss.
While he might have been facing an uphill battle right out of the gates, Puryear was not going to let that deter him.
"Coming in, I was like a deer in headlights," he said. "I was an 18-year-old, 235/240-pound freshman. I played linebacker in high school, so being moved to D-line was kind of like, 'Wow, what am I gonna do? I'm small, and these guys are like 300 pounds.' I just came in and worked everyday, grinding, not being down on myself if I have a bad practice or have a bad day. Just continue to work everyday has been really what I've been big on."
This work ethic eventually resulted in him getting put on scholarship by then-head coach Scott Satterfield in the spring of 2021. Over the next two seasons, Puryear became an important component in the defensive line rotation. He not only played in all 26 games over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, that even came with seven starts, collecting 24 tackles, 5.0 for loss and 2.5 sacks in the process.
Now as one of the older guys on the team, the long grind of fall camp isn't as taxing on him now that he knows what to expect. Even when in the middle of a position change and a switch to a brand new defensive scheme.
"Me being an older guy, it's my fifth camp, so I'm pretty used to the grind of it," he said. "Long days, a lot of meetings. It hasn't been very difficult adjusting, so I think it's been pretty good."
Whether Puryear holds onto this starting position when Louisville kicks off their first year under Brohm, or if he'll be coming off of the bench, he just want to be put in the best position possible for the team.
"For me, whatever's best for the team, whatever the coaches see that will help us win, that's what I want to do," he said.
(Photo of Ramon Puryear via University of Louisville Athletics)
You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:
Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report
You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter
