Louisville football: Three takeaways from the first released depth chart

Offensive line and tight end depth should be a big concern

We’ve talked about this a lot through the offseason as the 2019 recruiting class wrapped up and players made their way to campus, so it shouldn’t come as a shock. The offensive line and tight positions are lacking depth in a big way and are a big question heading into fall camp.

After losing starters Lukayus McNeil and Kenny Thomas as well as Wyatt Smock, who decided to step away from football, from the 2018 roster, the Cards were left with huge holes across the offensive line.

At tight end, the team lost Micky Crum to graduation while Kemari Averett was kicked off the team for off the field troubles before the new staff even arrived, leaving only one scholarship player in Jordan Davis and a handful of inexperienced walk-ons behind.

The previous staff put a premium on playmakers over the last few seasons on the recruiting trail while completely ignoring the blaring need for more offensive linemen and tight end. After landing in Louisville in December Scott Satterfield and his new staff hit the recruiting trail hard and were able to add five offensive linemen and two tight ends in the 2019 recruiting class and the graduate transfer market.

Adding graduate transfer T.J. McCoy will help at the center position, as the Cards have primarily counted on walk-ons over the course of last several seasons, while Ean Pfeier will be a nice piece alongside of Jordan Davis. Freshmen will be freshmen and while you can count on guys like Renato Brown, Joshua Black, Zach Williamson, and Dez Melton (TE) providing help where they can, they won’t be ready to be impact players right away as they get adjusted to the rigors of the ACC.

The starters at offensive line, for the most part, have experience and should be able to help Louisville take a big step forward under Dwayne Ledford, but if injuries happen, the next man up philosophy could cause some problems in consistency and production.

At tight end, Jordan Davis – the former Texas A&M transfers, should take a big step forward in his one and only year as the primary option, especially considering the reliance on the position in Satterfield’s offensive scheme. While Marshon Ford, who has been one of the most improved players overall on the roster, enough to earn a scholarship, should hold down the h-back position.

Just like the offensive line, any injuries could put the Cards in a really bad spot in 2019.