Louisville Football Redshirt Tracker: 2024 Week Five

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

Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Jadon Thompson (2) warms up ahead of their game against the Austin Peay Governors on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Ky. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - We're now three games into the 2024 season and starting conference play, so now the Louisville football program really has to start taking into account 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.

With Louisville now facing an uptick in opponents, it's starting to become clear who is in line to take a redshirt this season, and who won't. But who can still take one? Below is our full tracker, separated by distinct categories:

True Freshman:

*games played in parenthesis

• QB Deuce Adams (1)
• RB Isaac Brown (3)
• RB Duke Watson (3)
• WR Shaun Boykins (1)
• WR JoJo Stone (1)
• TE Dylan Mesman (1)
• OL Fred Johnson (1)
• OL Ransom McDermott (1)
• OL Jimmy Williams (1)
• DL Maurice Davis (3)
• DL Xavier Porter (1)
• LB Trent Carter (1)
• CB Jathan Hatch (1)
• CB Rae'mon Mosby (1)

While every true freshman has played in at least one game, three of them have played in every single game: Isaac Brown, Maurice Davis and Duke Watson.

With the injuries in the running back room, it would not come as a shock to see Brown and Watson burn their chance at a redshirt this season, as the duo has already taken non-special teams snaps in all three games. As for Davis, he took defensive snaps just against Austin Peay, but played on special teams in the last two games.

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

*games played in parenthesis

• RB Maurice Turner (2)
• WR Chris Bell (3)
• WR Antonio Meeks (2)
• TE Jaleel Skinner (3)
• OL Michael Gonzalez (3)
• DL Selah Brown (0)
• DL Ashton Gillotte (3)
• LB Stanquan Clark (3)
• S D'Angelo Hutchinson (3)

Once again, 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.

There are a couple potential injury exceptions here. Maurice Turner is going to miss some time due to his ankle/foot injury, and time will tell when he comes back. Selah Brown has yet to make an appearance due to an undisclosed injury. Something to monitor moving forward is that Antonio Meeks did not play against Georgia Tech on offense or special teams.

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 (3)
• OL Lance Robinson (0)
• DL Dezmond Tell (3)
• DL Mason Reiger (0)
• CB Corey Thornton (3)
• S Tamarion McDonald (3)
• S Devin Neal (3)

Again, this section is a little tricky, so I'll give a deeper explainer 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 Thompson, he is now out for the remainder of the season after suffered a knee injury against Georgia Tech. However, he still has his normal redshirt left as he played three full seasons at Cincinnati and one full season at Louisville last year. He can use that this season for a potential return in 2025.

With Lacy, he has already played four full seasons, but is sidelined to start the season with his broken collarbone. He could in theory use his normal redshirt and return in 2025 for his COVID year. However, he was warming up prior to the Georgia Tech game and looks to returning for either the Notre Dame or SMU game, so very unlikely he takes a redshirt unless he aggravates his collarbone.

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 Jadon Thompson: Clare Grant - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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