Louisville football: Cards land experienced Florida graduate transfer

Scott Satterfield and Louisville football landed a much needed graduate transfer from the University of Florida.

It was an extremely busy weekend for Scott Satterfield and Louisville football as they hosted nearly 15 prospects on campus for official visits with National Signing Day just around the corner.

Just hours after the players left campus the commitments began to roll in as Louisville landed an Ohio offensive lineman, SEC graduate transfer at TE, a JUCO linebacker, an then flipped a Georgia Tech offensive lineman.

Even with the visits all finished and multiple players committing, the Cards weren’t done.

University of Florida offensive lineman TJ McCoy took to Twitter just a while ago to announce that he would be spending his final season of eligibility playing for Scott Satterfield and the Cards.

pic.twitter.com/TgNXD3Cc1T
— TJ McCoy (@Iamtjmccoy) January 28, 2019

McCoy spent the last three seasons at Florida playing under Jim McElwain and Dan Mullens, after transferring from the school he originally signed with out of high school, North Carolina State.

The 6’1, 305 pound center’s name appeared in the infamous NCAA transfer portal earlier this month. The decision to transfer followed a season in which he appeared in just four games for the Gators due to injury, after looking like he could emerge into one of the top centers in the SEC.

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McCoy took a redshirt his first year on campus with Florida and appeared in his first game as a Gator against Kentucky in the 2016 season, going on to start in four of the seven games he played. During his redshirt sophomore season, McCoy developed into the anchor of the Florida Gators offensive line, starting in 9 games before going down to a serious season ending injury.

Looking to bounce back into pre-injury form, McCoy started the first four games of the year this past season for the Gators before once again suffering another season ending injury.

So what can the coaching staff and Cardinal fans expect out of the redshirt senior, who will eligible to play right away as a graduate transfer?

While injury is a concern, McCoy has great experience playing for one of the best offensive lines in the SEC and being the anchor for that unit, something that has been desperately missing for the Cards.

Somehow over the last five seasons Bobby Petrino has neglected or completely forgotten to recruit the center position and has ended up with mediocre to poor play from a series of walk-ons including, Tobijah Hughley, Robbie Bell, and Nathan Scheler.

McCoy will compete with Bell, who returns from a season ending injury of his own, and incoming freshman Jackson Gregory – who committed to the Cards this past weekend.

If McCoy is nothing but a bridge to the next center – likely Gregory – that will be nothing short of a win for the new Cardinal staff. But getting to play under Dwayne Ledford, Louisville’s new offensive line coach & offensive coordinator, was likely the biggest reason why McCoy decided to commit to the Cards. Ledford recently coached the Rimmington Award winner (award given to the nation’s best center), Garrett Bradberry, at North Carolina State and has been one of the best coaches at his position in the country over the last several seasons.

Louisville has just seven scholarship offensive lineman returning next season after losing starters Lukayus McNeil, Kenny Thomas, Nathan Scheler (walk-on), and Linwood Foy to graduation.

McCoy will join presuming starters Mekhi Becton, Caleb Chandler, and Cole Bentley on the starting front while Ronald Rudd, Wyatt Smock, Adonis Boone, and incoming freshman Zach Williamson, Renato Brown, Jackson Gregory, and Joshua Black for the one open job on the starting line.