Who's In, Who's Out and Who's Back for Louisville Football in 2022

Taking a look at the roster turnover between the 2021 and 2022 seasons for the Cardinals.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Ever since the 2021 season ended for the Louisville football program, it has been a whirlwind of roster upheaval. Between players declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft, transfers coming in and out, as well as new recruits joining the fold, at times it has been hard to track which scholarship players are joining, leaving and staying for another year.

Now that the dust has settled a bit, we have some idea as to what Louisville's roster will look like for the 2022 season. As of May 20, the Cardinals are at 86 scholarship players - one above the NCAA allotted maximum of 85.

As we progress through another long college football offseason, take a look below on who's in, who's out, and who's back for the Cardinals for the 2022 season:

*Each player's class is noted by their 2022 class.*

*This list will be updated if/when additional roster moves are made. Last updated: May 27, 2022*

Quarterbacks

Who's In (1): Khalib Johnson (Fr.)
Who's Out (1): T.J. Lewis (Transfer - TBD)
Who's Back (3): Malik Cunningham (R-Sr.), Evan Conley (Jr.), Brock Domann (Jr.)

Summary: Louisville's quarterback room still isn't terribly deep, but it's better than it was this time last year. Cunningham confirming he would return was a huge boost for the program, and Johnson is extremely underrated. Though Conley looked average last season, Domann saw the field just once, and Lewis left without ever taking a snap and changing positions twice.

On Roster: 4

Running Backs

Who's In (2): Tiyon Evans (Jr. - Tennessee Transfer), Maurice Turner (Fr.)
Who's Out (3): Maurice Burkley (Graduation), Hassan Hall (Transfer - Georgia Tech), Aidan Robbins (Transfer - UNLV)
Who's Back (3): Jalen Mitchell (R-So.), Jawhar Jordan (R-So.), Trevion Cooley (So.)

Summary: Even with Hall, Burkley and Robbins moving on, this is still one of the better units on the roster. Mitchell, Cooley and Evans will all push for the starting job, and Jordan will only get better with time. In Scott Satterfield’s four years at the helm this might be the best collection of backs he’s had at Louisville.

On Roster: 5

Wide Receivers

Who's In (5): Dee Wiggins (R-Jr. - Miami Transfer), Tyler Hudson (R-Jr. - Central Arkansas Transfer), Chris Bell (Fr.) Chance Morrow (Fr.), Devaughn Mortimer (Fr.)
Who's Out (5): Shai Werts (Graduation), Justin Marshall (Transfer - Buffalo), Jordan Watkins (Transfer - Ole Miss), Demetrius Cannon (Transfer - JUCO), Tyler Harrell (Transfer - Alabama)
Who's Back (3): Josh Johnson (Gr.), Braden Smith (Jr.), Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (So.)

Summary: Losing three of your top four receivers is always a big deal, but Louisville has done a solid job replacing the talent that has left so far. Not to mention that Smith - arguably your best receiver entering last season- is returning, as well as speed threat and Huggins-Bruce. Though the Cardinals might have to bring in one more receiver to complete the room.

On Roster: 8

Tight Ends

Who's In (1): Nate Kurisky (Fr.)
Who's Out (0): N/A
Who's Back (6): Isaac Martin (R-Sr.), Marshon Ford (R-Jr.), Dez Melton (R-So.), Duane Martin (So.), Victor Mullen (So.), Christian Pedersen (So.)

Summary: This is still a fairly deep tight end room, but someone not named Marshon Ford will have to step up next season in the passing game. Dez Melton and Duane Martin had moments where they showed they could, but the room as a whole did do well from a blocking standpoint.

On Roster: 7

Offensive Line

Who's In (4): Max Cabana (Fr.), Makhate Gueye (Fr.) Izaiah Reed (Fr.), Sam Secrest (Fr.)
Who's Out (3): Cole Bentley (Graduation), Desmond Daniels (Transfer - TBD), Tim Lawson (Transfer - Marshall)
Who's Back (11): Caleb Chandler (R-Sr.), Adonis Boone (Sr.), Trevor Reid (Sr.), Bryan Hudson (R-Jr.), Kobe Baynes (Jr.), Joshua Black (R-So.), Renato Brown (R-So.), Austin Collins (So.), Luke Kandra (So.), Michael Gonzalez (So.), Aaron Gunn (So.)

Summary: Louisville's offensive line should be in line for another extremely successful season in 2022, and it very well could be deepest position on the roster. Losing your starting center is a big deal, but Hudson should be able to slide right. Plus you retain four other starters, and have a couple really promising young backups.

On Roster: 15

Nose Tackle

Who's In (2): Jermayne Lole (R-Sr. - Arizona State Transfer), Tawfiq Thomas (Fr.)
Who's Out (3): Derek Dorsey (Graduation), Jacques Turner (Graduation), Malik Clark (Graduation)
Who's Back (4): Henry Bryant (Sr.), Jared Dawson (So.), Dezmond Tell (So.), Caleb Banks (So.)

Summary: It can't be stated how big of a pickup that Lole is for Louisville. He is a game changer at defensive tackle, and massively improves the defensive line as a whole. Banks could also be in line for a breakout season after redshirting last season, and the position has some depth with Tell coming back.

On Roster: 6

Defensive End

Who's In (2): Selah Brown (Fr.), Popeye Williams (Fr.)
Who's Out (3): Tabarius Peterson (Graduation), Dayna Kinnaird (Graduation), Ja'Darien Boykin (Transfer - Middle Tennessee State)
Who's Back (7): YaYa Diaby (Sr.), Zach Edwards (R-So.), Ramon Puryear (R-So.), Victoine Brown (So.), Ryheem Craig (So.), Ashton Gilotte (So.), RJ Sorenson (So.)

Summary: Louisville hasn't gotten a lot of production out of the defensive line in recent years, but there should be solid production out of the ends. Diaby had a disappointing 2021 but could be in line for a rebound, Gillotte was one of the top true freshmen on the team, plus Louisville is bringing in two top tier prospects at the position.

On Roster: 9

Inside Linebackers

Who's In (1): MoMo Sanogo (R-Sr. - Ole Miss Transfer)
Who's Out (1): C.J. Avery (Graduation), 
Who's Back (7): Monty Montgomery (R-Sr.), KJ Cloyd (Jr.), Dorian Jones (R-So.), Allen Smith (R-So.), Jaylin Alderman (So.), Jackson Hamilton (So.), TJ Quinn (So.)

Summary: Losing your defensive captain in Avery should not be understated, but Sanogo is bringing a wealth of experience from the SEC. Combined with Montgomery returning, and you have the best ILB duo in the ACC. Plus Cloyd, Jones and Alderman collectively did a good job filling in for Montgomery after his injury.

On Roster: 8

Outside Linebackers

Who's In (0): N/A
Who's Out (3): Jack Fagot (Graduation), Zay Peterson (Transfer - Middle Tennessee State), Nick Okeke (Transfer - Southern Illinois)
Who's Back (4): Yasir Abdullah (Sr.), Marvin Dallas (Sr.), Kameron Wilson (So.), Benjamin Perry (So.)

Summary: Abdullah might be one of your best defenders, and Marvin Dallas looked phenomenal at time. However, it's a relatively thin group. With the departure of Jack Fagot, Ben Perry - another former safety - had to officially make the transition to outside backer to add depth to the room.

On Roster: 4

Cornerbacks

Who's In (4): Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (R-Jr. - Florida State Transfer), Jayden Williams (R-So. - USC Transfer), Quincy Riley (R-So. - Middle Tennessee State Transfer), Jeremiah Caldwell (Fr.)
Who's Out (2): Greedy Vance (Transfer - Florida State), Kani Walker (Transfer - Oklahoma)
Who's Back (5): Chandler Jones (Sr.), Kei’Trel Clark (Jr.), Trey Franklin (Jr.), Rance Conner (So.), Derrick Edwards III (So.)

Summary: Losing Vance and Walker, both of whom had potential to be starter next season, is a big deal. Fortunately, you return one of the best corners in the ACC in Clark, add three potential starters in Brownlee, Riley and Williams, and have up-and-coming depth pieces in Franklin, Conner and Edwards.

On Roster: 9

Safeties

Who's In (5): Jalen Alexander (Sr. - Duke Transfer), Nicario Harper (Jr. - Jacksonville State Transfer), M.J. Griffin (R-So. - Temple Transfer), D'Angelo Hutchinson (Fr.), Antonio Watts (Fr.)
Who's Out (1): Qwynnterrio Cole (Graduation)
Who's Back (3): Kenderick Duncan (R-Sr.), Shavarick Williams (Jr.), Josh Minkins (So.)

Summary: Louisville doesn't have the arduous task of replacing both starting safeties like last offseason, but this is a position where there are a lot of new faces. Duncan will anchor down one spot on the back end, but the other starting safety spot is be completely up for grabs between the three transfers.

On Roster: 8

Special Teams

Who's In (0): N/A
Who's Out (1): LS Mitch Hall (Graduation)
Who's Back (3): PK James Turner (Jr.), PK Brock Travelstead (So.), P Mark Vassett (So.)

Summary: Obviously, Louisville will have to bring in another long snapper, or cross-train someone on the roster who can. But Louisville does bring back their starting kicker and punter, so it's not all bad news here.

On Roster: 3

(Photo of Helmet via University of Louisville Athletics)

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