Louisville football had one last open practice for fans and media this past Friday, and I was able to make it out to note some observations and thoughts. This practice was a bit sloppy before it delved into a minor brawl and wind sprints. Not many players stood out on the day, but it was good to see some guys work through a rough practice.
If you missed earlier practice updates, they are here and here.
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QUARTERBACKS
The sloppy play was headed up by the quarterbacks, who all had some struggles on the day. Lincoln Kienholz had been on the money in previous practices that were open to the public, but he did not have a great day on Friday. Linc missed a few guys down the sideline with throws that were too high and out of reach for the receiver. He also made a really poor decision on a corner route to an inside receiver that ended up being a throw into triple coverage.
His performance was nothing to worry about, but it was interesting to see him struggle a little bit to get his reaction. He didn’t seem bothered by any of what happened, and he finished the day strong in a segment where they practice passing plays in the red zone.
Davin Wydner had a day to forget as well as he was inaccurate on multiple throws throughout practice. Wydner clearly understands the aspects of the offense that they are running, but he has been a little too slow with his decisions, which leads to him scrambling where he feels comfortable. However, he hasn’t been able to find guys when scrambling, and he’s forced throws or taken off running more than you would like. He’ll be a guy to keep an eye on during the spring game.
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I have liked what I’ve seen from Briggs Cherry as a true freshman. He hasn’t made any of the mistakes you would expect, like forgetting the play or fumbling the snap. He has also been mostly accurate on his throws on intermediate and deep passes. He has thrown a few interceptions, but they have been a mix of good plays by the defense and trying to fit a ball into a tight spot. I hesitate to say it, but he does seem to be further along than the other freshmen we’ve seen under Jeff Brohm.
RUNNING BACKS
This group will be the strength of the offense, and the depth will be the reason why. Issac and Keyjuan Brown are known commodities, but Marquise Davis could be the most complete back on the roster. Davis has shown an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield that we haven’t seen from Keyjuan yet. He can also run through tacklers in a way that Isaac can’t totally do because of his size. Davis isn’t the best back on the roster, but he can do it all, which will get him on the field a lot this year.
Lehky Thompkins is another guy who could force his way into the game at running back due to his absurd build. Thompkins looks like what I would imagine Derrick Henry looks like in person. He is listed at 6-2/235, but he looks like he could be 6-4. I haven’t seen him get into the open field and get to full speed yet, but his initial burst is very good for a guy his size. He really stood out in blocking drills on Friday, where he completely swallowed Brady Ballert on one rep.
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RECEIVERS
Lawayne McCoy finally lived up to the ridiculous expectations that I have personally put on him on Friday. McCoy consistently got open in different areas of the field and didn’t have any drops that I saw. He also got into it with Tayon Holloway after a run play where he was blocking. He showed some fight for a young guy against a veteran. He will be a key player this year, in my opinion, with the running game being so strong and the tight end position having multiple options.
You would never know that Tre Richardson wasn’t fully healthy by the way he warms up. He does all of the stretches, but he also bounces around on his surgically-repaired ankle/foot as if nothing is wrong. There is no reason to have him practice at this point, but I would imagine he will spend the summer working out with the quarterbacks to get timing and communication down.
The rest of the receivers didn’t do much of note for the day, but I still think that this group is deeper than last season. Montavious Quisenberry had a rough Saturday practice last week but he wasn’t able to redeem himself after injuring his ankle or foot early on Friday. Jackson Voth is a guy who could show up in the spring game. He received first-team reps on Friday.
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Tight end will be another strength for this offense. The staff deserves a lot of credit for going out and upgrading the position with guys who can bring different skillsets to the offense. Justyn Reid has been a real surprise to me, as I thought he would be more of a blocking tight end who wouldn’t provide much in the passing game. I have seen nothing to show that he can’t be a pass-catcher in this offense with his athleticism and hands.
Brody Foley is nursing some sort of injury, but he did get to run routes on Friday in drills. However, they didn’t throw him the ball in the drills where other guys were catching passes. I don’t know what his injury is, but I can say I’ve never seen that before. It may be a wrist or shoulder injury, but he wasn’t wearing any gear that would make any injury obvious.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Not much to note here other than Johnnie Brown being back with the first group at right guard. Jarvis Strickland did throw some punches during a full-on fight about halfway through practice. He and Dylan Mesman got into it with someone on the defense, and players from both sides jumped in to participate and/or break up the fracas.
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At this point, the entire team was forced to run sprints across the field. Strickland, Maurice Davis, and TJ Capers were the few players who drew the ire of the staff for their effort during the sprints. The team ran sprints again right before the practice ended, but I’m not totally sure why.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The defensive line dominated this practice, with the edge players finding it relatively easy to get into the backfield. Demeco Kennedy also had a nice TFL on Isaac Brown, where he beat his man with a quick move before cutting down the line to meet Brown before he got back to the line of scrimmage. Kennedy and Daylen Russell have been the first defensive tackles up since practice started, and I would expect that to be the case this fall based on what I’ve seen from the other tackles.
LINEBACKERS
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I was very happy to see the staff mostly stay away from adding portal players at linebacker with so many young options returning to the team. Trent Carter and Cameron White have been consistent in the second group on defense after getting a decent amount of snaps last year. Carter battled injuries, but he is the most veteran backup in the system at the inside linebacker spot. Both guys had a presence on special teams last year, but they will now move into larger roles on the defense. White had a nice interception off a tipped pass by Gavin Waddell on Friday.
Blake Ruffin is going to make it hard for the staff not to get him on the field this year. Antonio Watts will own the Star position, but the staff has struggled mightily to find a true backup since Ben Perry was lost to injury two years ago. With Perry back and Ruffin making play after play this spring, the staff has options and depth behind Watts.
SECONDARY
I think it’s a fair argument that this is the deepest secondary group Louisville has had under Jeff Brohm. The entire group of cornerbacks are good enough to see the field, in my opinion. At safety, the Cards have four guys who are battling each day to get snaps with the first group. There are 10-12 guys in the secondary who should be in the rotation or at least give the coaches confidence to put them on the field if needed.
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DJ Waller and Tayon Holloway have the potential to make up a very formidable duo at cornerback. Both are big corners who play aggressively in press coverage. If Waller can stay healthy, he could be the next guy in line for Steve Ellis to turn into an NFL prospect. If they can maximize the depth in the back end, the Cards could have an outstanding pass defense with the pass rush being improved from an already elite level.
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