Louisville Football Redshirt Tracker: 2024 Week Six

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

Louisville running back Isaac Brown (25) catches a pass for a touchdown with Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser (24) chasing during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the Louisville football program now four games into their 2024 season, now rubber is starting to hit the road in term of 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 a third of the way into their season, we've officially hit the limit of games for some players to take a redshirt. But who can still take one, and how is on the verge of burning their redshirt? Below is our full tracker, separated by distinct categories:

True Freshman:

*games played in parenthesis

• QB Deuce Adams (1)
• RB Isaac Brown (4)
• RB Duke Watson (4)
• 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 (4)
• DL Xavier Porter (1)
• LB Trent Carter (1)
• CB Jathan Hatch (1)
• CB Rae'mon Mosby (1)

Once again, the only true freshman that have played in four of Louisville's games up to this point are Isaac Brown, Maurice Davis and Duke Watson.

Considering the injuries in the running back room, Brown and Watson are likely going to burn their redshirts in this next games vs. SMU. As for Davis, he took defensive snaps just against Austin Peay, but played on special teams in the last three games. It will be interesting to see what the staff does with him now that he's at the threshold.

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

*games played in parenthesis

• RB Maurice Turner (2)
• WR Chris Bell (4)
• WR Antonio Meeks (3)
• TE Jaleel Skinner (4)
• OL Michael Gonzalez (4)
• DL Selah Brown (0)
• DL Ashton Gillotte (4)
• LB Stanquan Clark (4)
• S D'Angelo Hutchinson (4)

As previously noted, 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 upcoming weekend against SMU. However, there are a few exceptions

Maurice Turner is going to miss some time due to his ankle/foot injury, and with no clear timeline on when he will return, him potentially taking a redshirt is fully dependent on how many games he missed.

As with Selah Brown, he has yet to make an appearance due to an undisclosed injury, so it seems like he is a redshirt candidate.

While Antonio Meeks didn't play against Georgia Tech, he was back on the field at Notre Dame. He'll likely pass the threshold some time in the next couple weeks.

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

*games played in parenthesis

• WR Caullin Lacy (1)
• WR Jadon Thompson (3)
• OL Lance Robinson (0)
• DL Dezmond Tell (4)
• DL Mason Reiger (0)
• CB Corey Thornton (4)
• S Tamarion McDonald (4)
• S Devin Neal (4)

This section is starting to gain some clarity.

McDonald, Neal, Tell and Thornton have played four full prior seasons and are on their COVID year. Barring injury this week in practice, they will all burn their final opportunity to take a redshirt.

With Lacy, he was able to make his Louisville debut after missing their first three games with a broken collarbone. Unless the injury is re-aggravated or another injury comes up, he's expected to be massive contributor moving forward and will burn in his last opportunity for a redshirt in the game at Boston College.

With Thompson, he is 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.

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: Michael Clubb - South Bend Tribune / USA TODAY Network)

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