Louisville Football: Cards Wide Receiving Corps Could be Deepest in the Nation

The University of Louisville football team has a solid mix of returning veterans, as well as a talented group of younger players returning at wide receiver.

The departure of Lamar Jackson is a blow that no team is going to be able to absorb in stride. That being said, what is left of the Louisville football offensive roster is a comforting sign for those around the program.

The Cards return a talented offensive line that will be able to withstand even the most talented ACC defensive units- something that has been lacking since the return of Bobby Petrino. Additionally, the offense will be led by a veteran tight end group, and a budding star at quarterback that are itching to prove their worth.

But, the group that may be the steady hand that guides this underappreciated Louisville team is the wide receivers.

Louisville returns their top 3 receivers in 2018: Jaylen Smith, Dez Fitzpatrick, and Seth Dawkins. The three receivers accounted for 147 receptions, and 2,321 yards, which was more than 60% of Louisville’s receiving yardage, and 89% of receiving yardage from all returning wide receivers. This led Lonnie Galloway, Louisville’s receiving coach and co-offensive coordinator to say, “This is definitely a good group, I’m looking for three or four guys that will step in and take control of the room. Competition is the best thing for every position. I need everyone to be pushed.”

With the Cards bringing back pretty much all of their production from 2017, they will look to improve their production in 2018 when the Cards figure to have a more traditional passing attack led by Jawon Pass.

Vying for playing time will be tough for a lot of players waiting in the wings, but the roster is so talented that a few players are certain to be a part of the rotation.

Corey Reed and Josh Johnson made a small, but notable impact in 2017. Reed played in every game, and recorded 8 receptions and averaged a gaudy 18 yards per reception. Reed figures to play a significant amount of snaps in the second string. Like the big three, Reed has the ability to get open down field, and has incredible speed and vision for his size. It’s hard to a player of Corey Reed’s caliber not getting significant snaps.

Josh Johnson will likely start in the slot following the departure of Treveon Samuels. Johnson is a 5’11” speedster who saw limited action last season, but impressed in his short time on the field. He is multi-faceted because he is small enough to sneak into the secondary, make tough catches, and have the escapability to continue plays down field.

A name to watch out for in 2018 is Chatarious “Tutu” Atwell. Tutu is a 5’9″ quarterback turned slot receiver from Miami Northwestern, and my man has BURNERS. He is small in stature, but he demonstrated the ability to get the ball in his hands and get into the secondary with ease. Look for Tutu to fill in for the Departure of Samuel on some end-around type plays, or other gadget plays. Bobby Petrino and staff are going to want to have Atwell on the field in whatever capacity possible.

Atwell is going to play, it’s just a matter of where he can fit in the offense, and how well he can learn the playbook.

Another player to watch is going to be redshirt freshman Justin Marshall. Marshall brings more size and depth to the receiving corpse, and although what he can contribute on the field remains to be seen, he showed a lot of promise coming out of high school. Ditto for true freshmen Tyler Harrell and Jatavorious Harris. Harris, who arrived on campus in the spring, could be a dark horse for meaningful playing time. He is of the massive, strong, and quick mold like Jaylen Smith, and could find himself on the field over the course of his true freshman year.

Overall though, Smith, Fitzpatrick, and Dawkins are going to shoulder the load for the Cards.

Smith returns after a season where he only played 10 games, and still nearly hit the 1,000 yard plateau. Look for him to continue his dominance in 2018.

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Fitzpatrick could be the most dynamic receiver in the country, and could push Smith for the role as Louisville’s leading pass catcher. The redshirt sophomore will draw a lot of attention this season nationally if he continues on the same trajectory.

Dawkins will continue to be the steady and reliable presence that most have come to expect to catch everything thrown his way. He won’t kill you with blazing speed, but he is disciplined, sure-handed, and extremely difficult to bring down.

The Cards have a lot of uncertainty at a whole lot of positions. If there is a veteran squad that is going to make Louisville ACC contenders, it is the wide receivers.

They are underappreciated now, but when fall rolls around, this is a group that everyone in the country could be talking about.

Next: Louisville Football Depth Chart Preview: Offensive Line