Louisville football: 5 defensive players with the most to prove in 2019

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LOUISVILLE, KY – OCTOBER 05: Rodjay Burns #10 of the Louisville Cardinals makes a tackle near the sideline against Clinton Lynch #22 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half of the game at Cardinal Stadium on October 5, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Rodjay Burns – OLB

Another player who moved positions this summer is Rodjay Burns. After spending his first season at Ohio State, Burns transferred home to Louisville and was the team’s number one corner. Now he’ll be embracing a new role as an outside linebacker or the position that will come to be known as the CARD.

Burns showed potential to be a reliable playmaker for Louisville’s defense and special teams last season when he had the ball in his hands. However, the problem was the fact that he rarely had the ball in his hands.

In games against Indiana State and Virginia, we saw the speed of Burns on full display but throughout the other 10 games of the season, we mostly saw the redshirt sophomore struggle to cover one-on-one in the Brian VanGorder defensive scheme. (Insert Burns was burned joke here)

A Bryan Brown led defense features cornerbacks who are expected to be extremely fast and athletic players that can run. Unfortunately for Burns, he doesn’t fit that mold. So instead of allowing his talent to rot on the bench, the staff decided to try something new and move him to the OLB position.

This season, expect to see Brown use Burns as a blitzing linebacker (knowing he’s a faster straight-line runner than elusive player) and an extra cover guy in 3-3-5 formations.

Since the move, the defensive staff has been extremely complimentary of Burns and what he’s shown he can do at the position. Burns has also enjoyed the move and expects to thrive this season, telling Cardinal Authority,

"“Switching positions is different, it puts me more down in the box with the lineman. I like being able to set the edge on linemen, being able to show what I can do. Just being able to show my strength for my size. It’s fun.”"

Alongside some of the playmakers Louisville features at the OLB position, such as Boosie Whitlow, PJ Blue, Nick Okeke, and incoming freshmen Allen Smith and Ja’Darien Boykin, Burns will have the opportunity to work in blitzing scenarios and provide mismatches for opposing offenses.

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