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Louisville Football: Bold Predictions for 2018-19 Season

By Jacob Lane

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - SEPTEMBER 02: Dez Fitzpatrick #87 and Jaylen Smith #9 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrate after Fitzpatrick caught a touchdown pass during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - SEPTEMBER 02: Dez Fitzpatrick #87 and Jaylen Smith #9 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrate after Fitzpatrick caught a touchdown pass during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Dez Fitzpatrick becomes first 1,000 yard receiver since Harry Douglas in 2007

While doing some research on Puma Pass and his expectations for the 2018-19 season, I found a statistic that absolutely blew my mind.

Louisville, who has put several receivers in the NFL over the last couple of years including DeVante Parker, hasn’t had a receiver eclipse over 1,000 yards in nine seasons. The last to do it, Harry Douglas back in 2007.

Woah.

DeVante Parker, James Quick, Jamari Staples, Eli Rogers, Doug Beaumont, and Damian Copeland are just a handful of the receivers who’ve put on the red and black for Louisville that couldn’t eclipse 1,000 yards in a season. While several of those guys played with each other and also with plenty of other talented receivers/tight ends, it still seems crazy to me that there hasn’t been one of them that’s been able to get over the 1,000 yard hump.

This season that changes.

In his redshirt freshman season Dez Fizpatrick looked like a guy who soon could be the next great receiver at Louisville. Even with Lamar Jackson spreading the ball out and throwing to other extremely talented receivers like Jaylen Smith and Seth Dawkins, Dez “Sixpatrick as he was appropriately nicknamed, emerged as the most dangerous of them all.

In his first three games the 6’2 200 pound receiver put up astounding numbers, catching 10 balls for 211 yards and 4 touchdowns. Though he would struggle with dropped balls later in the season, and disappeared at times (normal for young players) Fitzpatrick finished with 45 receptions for 699 yards, while breaking the Louisville football touchdown record for a freshman with 9 TD’s.

Following up on those numbers may prove to be tricky for the redshirt sophomore, especially with Lamar Jackson moving onto the NFL and Puma Pass taking over at QB. But with a third full offseason with Bobby Petrino and second with WR coach Lonnie Galloway, Fitzpatrick has all the tools necessary to become one of the greatest Louisville receivers of all time…if he sticks around long enough.

With Jaylen Smith, and Seth Dawkins on the field defenses will be unable to double Fitzpatrick, likely leaving him with one-on-one coverage. And because of that, it won’t take long before he gives opposing defensive coordinators nightmares.

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