Ranking the most important Louisville football players in 2019-20

Year: R-Senior

2018 Statistics: 4 tackles

There were a lot of head scratching personnel moves last season by Bobby Petrino and Brian VanGorder on the defensive side of the ball. At the top of that list is the use and lack of play given to talented transfer Quandeski “Boosie” Whitlow.

Some of you may not even remember that Whitlow transferred to Louisville from South Carolina. A high 3-star out of high school, Whitlow was a promising recruit who never panned out for the Gamecocks and transferred to the Cards in hopes of getting more playing time. But he did not. In the preseason, we pegged Whitlow as a potential starter or first linebacker or defensive end off the bench.

For whatever reason, Bobby Petrino, Brian VanGorder, and the rest of the staff didn’t see Whitlow as a viable option, and he rarely saw the field in 2018. His playing time, however, shouldn’t be indicative of his ceiling. It was clear from the jump that VanGorder with an incompetent play-caller and decision maker, and that included getting the right guys on the field. When defensive captain, and experienced edge-rusher Jon Greenard was injured and eventually ruled out for the season, Whitlow still barely sniffed the field, and coaches chose to play guys like Derek Dorsey and Nick Okeke, who were barely on anyone’s radar entering the season.

Whitlow has the size and talent to break out in 2019. He started all 12 games of his sophomore season at South Carolina, and was a consistent threat in the opposing backfield. Whatever Petrino and VanGorder saw from him at practice or off the field was as head-scratching as whatever they saw in guys like running back Colin Wilson and other talented players that never got fair chances.

Louisville’s front seven is lacking in depth, and Whitlow could have the chance to wow the new staff and finally get his chance in 2019. Don’t be surprised to see a break-out season from the senior.