Louisville football: 5 seniors who will be crucial to success in 2019-2020
By Jacob Lane
Jordan Davis – TE
When it comes to the tight end position, Jordan Davis is the guy who will have to produce if the Cards have any chance of being successful offensively.
If you read our site regularly, you know we’ve talked about the lack of depth and experience at the tight end position heading into the 2019-20 season. After losing Micky Crum to graduation and Kemari Averett to off the field issues, the Cards are left with just Jordan Davis returning.
The Texas A&M transfer has just eight catches and two touchdowns over his three-year career, but when the Cards run out on offense against Notre Dame, none of that will matter.
With graduate-transfer Ean Pfeifer, a former Vanderbilt offensive lineman, Dez Melton, a three-star commit in the ’19 class, and a mix of walk-on’s and former walk-on’s in Marshon Ford and Jeffrey Banks, Satterfield and tight end’s coach Stu Holt, will have to lean on Jordan Davis to produce at a career rate.
After spring practice, Satterfield – a coach who leans on the tight end position probably more than any coach in the last decade at Louisville – was encouraged by how much the unit showed him saying:
"“That may be one of the more surprising things in a pleasant way for me – tight end. You come in and you really don’t have a lot of depth, but I thought they made as much improvement as any position from the beginning to the end (of spring ball).”"
It’s not just Satterfield that’s noticed the change in the tight end position, especially Davis. Stu Holt told Jody Demling,
"“Jordan Davis really took off in the weight room when we first got here and has continued to change his body. Mike Sirignano does a great job with our guys in the weight room and it’s made a difference with Jordan. He’s moving faster and playing faster. He’s a big body and he’s stronger than he appears, I wasn’t sure what we would get out of him in that aspect. I thought he had good hands and could move well in space and could be a matchup problem for an inside backer or safety, but I was impressed with the way he blocked on the line of scrimmage and the way he moved guys off the ball.”"
Blocking will be a strong suit for Jordan Davis, giving Louisville a sixth offensive lineman in some offensive sets, but where I expect to see the most improvement from Davis is his route running and becoming a reliable target for whoever the Cards QB is this season.