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

4 of 6

Louisville football defense, russ yeast, uofl football, bryan brown

LOUISVILLE, KY – SEPTEMBER 08: Russ Yeast #6 of the Louisvillle Cardinals runs with the ball against the Indiana State Sycamores on September 8, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Russ Yeast – S

We keep the theme of players switching position going with former cornerback, turned safety, Russ Yeast.

Yeast struggled to fit the right fit, to no fault of his own, under Bobby Petrino and ultimately decided that putting his name into the transfer portal was the right decision for his future. Much like Hicks, the new Louisville football staff was able to convince Yeast that he was indeed a part of the future in the Ville and a much-needed piece to the pie on defense.

Upon his return, Yeast was moved from CB to safety and has since shown the staff that he is one of the most talented players on the roster. This summer, Bryan Brown went on air with ESPN Louisville’s Drew Deener and had glowing things to say about Yeast’s performance through spring ball. He said,

"“When I got here in December and met with him (Yeast), I said “Hey, let’s get your name out of the portal. Let’s try to work this thing out.” Right now he’s our starting strong safety. He’s unbelievable! We moved him from corner to safety, that was one of our moves and he fits just perfectly at that spot. He’s like a corner, but he’s not a true corner if you understand what I’m saying. He’s not a guy that can just go out there on an island all the time and lock up on one. My strong safety in our defense is really a third corner that tackles really well. (Last year) He was done, he was finished. He’s an unbelievable kid! And he’s probably going to go out with the ones come Notre Dame next year.”"

After totaling 23 tackles and 2 defended passes as a freshman, Yeast took a step back statistically in 2018 putting up just 8 tackles and 1 sack.

This season playing safety, a position where he fits because of his ability to make plays on the ball while not being forced to cover one-on-one, Yeast should become one of the Cards more reliable players. I would expect career bests in every statistical category – as long as he shows he’s able to make plays in space and most importantly, tackle.

Home/Louisville Cardinals News