Louisville Football Redshirt Tracker: 2024 Week Three

Tracking the games played among Cardinals who have yet to take their redshirt season.

Sep 7, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals running back Isaac Brown (25) runs the ball against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks during the second half at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Louisville defeated Jacksonville State 49-14. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program has a couple games under their belts for the 2024 season, so it's time to start tracking a crucial component when it comes to roster construction and management: who has crossed the games played threshold for redshirts.

As a reminder, a player can play up to four games in a season while still maintaining their redshirt - which allows them an additional year of eligibility beyond the normal allotment of four. Play more than that, and you've burned your opportunity to take a redshirt that season.

There are some complicating factors, such as injury waivers or older players who were granted an additional year thanks to the COVID pandemic in 2020. But outside of that, D1 players - according to the NCAA's official page - have five-calendar years to play four non-redshirt seasons of competition.

Considering Louisville has blown out Austin Peay and Jacksonville State to start their season, it has given the opportunity for a lot of players to play in-game snaps. But who can still take a redshirt this season? Below is our full tracker, separated by distinct categories:

True Freshman:

*games played in parenthesis

• QB Deuce Adams (1)
• RB Isaac Brown (2)
• RB Duke Watson (2)
• WR Shaun Boykins (1)
• WR JoJo Stone (1)
• TE Dylan Mesman (1)
• OL Fred Johnson (1)
• OL Random McDermott (1)
• OL Jimmy Williams (1)
• DL Maurice Davis (2)
• DL Xavier Porter (1)
• LB Trent Carter (1)
• CB Jathan Hatch (1)
• CB Rae'mon Mosby (1)

So far, every single scholarship true freshman has seen action up to this point. That being said, most of this came in the game against Austin Peay, where nearly the entire bench was dumped.

Just three true freshman have played in both games so far in Isaac Brown, Maurice Davis and Duke Watson. Brown and Watson are the only true freshman to take non-special teams snaps in both games up to this point. Davis took defensive snaps just against Austin Peay, but played on special teams in both games.

Post-HS Class of 2020 players with no redshirt taken yet:

*games played in parenthesis

• RB Maurice Turner (2)
• WR Chris Bell (2)
• WR Antonio Meeks (2)
• TE Jaleel Skinner (2)
• OL Michael Gonzalez (2)
• DL Selah Brown (0)
• DL Ashton Gillotte (2)
• LB Stanquan Clark (2)
• S D'Angelo Hutchinson (2)

Not many surprises here. Most of the players in this category are heavy contributors to the team, and are expected to burn their opportunity to take a redshirt this season in the coming weeks.

The only asterisk here is Selah Brown. While he only played in four games as a true freshman in 2022, he is listed as a true junior on Louisville's roster. Considering he is still sidelined with an undisclosed injury, it would not be shocking to see him exercise his redshirt year this season.

Class of 2020 players entering final year with either COVID year or normal redshirt remaining:

*games played in parenthesis

• WR Caullin Lacy (0)
• WR Jadon Thompson (2)
• OL Lance Robinson (0)
• DL Dezmond Tell (2)
• DL Mason Reiger (0)
• CB Corey Thornton (2)
• S Tamarion McDonald (2)
• S Devin Neal (2)

It's a little tricky here, so I'm going to go a little more in depth here.

McDonald, Neal, Tell and Thornton have played four full prior seasons and are on their COVID year. Barring injury, will likely burn their final opportunities to take a normal redshirt in a few weeks.

With Lacy, he has already played four full seasons, but is sidelined to start the season with his broken collarbone. If the injury limits him to four games or less this season, he could in theory use his normal redshirt and return in 2025 for his COVID year.

Robinson used his extra COVID year in 2020 when he played just three games at MTSU as a true freshman. he then had a full 2021 season at MTSU followed by a full 2022 season at Houston. While he only played one game last season in his first year with Louisville, it counts as a full season due to then-NCAA eligibility rules, which were amended during bowl season to allow him to play the Holiday Bowl. With Robinson out for the season due to an injury suffered in fall camp, his normal redshirt will be used this season so he can return in 2025.

Reiger didn't play a game in 2020, but used his COVID year for that season, and has played three "full" seasons since. He was in line to play his final year this season, but with him still being sidelined after complications from offseason knee surgery, he will likely use his normal redshirt this year and return for 2025 - as long as he doesn't play more than four games.

(Photo of Isaac Brown: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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