Louisville Football: Mekhi Becton and Cole Bentley stand to benefit most in 2019

Under new offensive coordinator Dwayne Ledford, Louisville football’s stud offensive linemen Mekhi Becton and Cole Bentley could be primed for huge 2019 seasons.

2018 brought the promise of an improved offensive line for Louisville football for a multitude of reasons. With the departure of Lamar Jackson, UofL coaches sounded optimistic about the possibility of improved consistency from their skill position players, thus leading to immediate offensive line improvement. Additionally, Bobby Petrino brought in offensive line guru, and former Louisville O-Line coach Mike Summers. With the return of some veteran starters and key back-ups, the stars appeared to be aligning for the offensive line to turn things around.

But it didn’t. Not only did Louisville’s offensive line struggle in 2018, they got considerably worse. Given the talent on the line, and the excellent coaching track record, Louisville’s line woes were head scratching.

Louisville loses Lukayas McNeil, Linwood Foy, and Kenny Thomas to seniority, but returns a young cast of players who bring size and talent. The roster will include now well-known names like Robbie Bell and Ronald Rudd, and will mix in a relatively inexperienced Caleb Chandler. However, the players that stand the most to benefit in 2019 are probably Mekhi Becton and Cole Bentley.

Louisville and Scott Satterfield shocked a lot of people in the ACC and nationally when they inked Dwayne Ledford to a new deal two weeks ago. Ledford is considered one of the better offensive line coaches in the country. While at NC State, he took a team who was reeling on the offensive line in 2015 and made the Wolfpack one of the best offensive lines in the country over the course of the next three seasons, allowing just 39 sacks over the course of the last three seasons. For reference, that is less than Louisville allowed just in 2018 alone.

Along the way, Satterfield took three star prospects and turned them into some of the best linemen in the country. Consider Garrett Bradbury, an NC State offensive linemen who, until Ledford’s arrival, played on the defensive line. He was recruited out of high school as a low-end three star recruit and started at State as a tight end. Five years later, under Ledford’s direction, he was named the Rimington award winner for the best center in the country. That is the kind of coach that Dwayne Ledford is.

At Louisville, Ledford may have a better crop of talent, and that starts with Bentley and Becton. The latter of the two is a massive specimen. Becton is listed at 6-7, 355 pounds, but is probably even larger than that. Yet Becton can do some pretty agile things, like dunk a basketball or run for a touchdown. Maybe most importantly, Becton brings versatility, consistency, and a massive presence to the Louisville line. Ledford will know exactly what to do with the future first round NFL draft prospect.

Bentley anchored the middle for the Cards in 2018, but that is certainly not his specialty. The rising junior was forced into the starting center role when Robbie Bell was sidelined with an injury in the preseason. The second rated player in Kentucky out of college, Bentley is another guy who can play multiple positions. However, look for Ledford to utilize him at the guard spot in 2019.