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Louisville football: Without taking a snap T.J. McCoy earns recognition

By Tanner Hickman

LOUISVILLE, KY - DECEMBER 05: Scott Satterfield the new head coach of football team at the University of Louisville talks to the media before the start od the Louisville Cardinals against the Central Arkansas Bears at KFC YUM! Center on December 5, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - DECEMBER 05: Scott Satterfield the new head coach of football team at the University of Louisville talks to the media before the start od the Louisville Cardinals against the Central Arkansas Bears at KFC YUM! Center on December 5, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Louisville football graduate transfer T.J. McCoy was one of 81 players named to the Remington Award watch list. 

It’s that time of the offseason where players begin to be individually recognized by college football’s top awards watch lists. For Louisville football, graduate transfer T.J. McCoy was the first to see his name added to one of the lists of a prestigious award.

The fifth-year senior who transferred to the Cards back in February after spending the first four years of his career playing in the SEC at Florida is expected to be a large factor of the offensive line this season, providing leadership and experience to a relatively young core after starting 13 games during his career at Florida.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Rimington Trophy is given to the best center in college football over the course of the season and is presented at the end of each year. The Watch List, which was released on Friday, included 80 Division 1 centers for the 2019 fall season.

Interestingly enough, the 2018 winner of the Rimington Trophy was Garrett Bradbury of NC State who was coached by current Louisville offensive line coach Dwyane Ledford.

McCoy has the tools of a player who could help the Cards make a big leap of improvement after spending 2018 at the bottom of nearly every major statistical category.

For TJ McCoy, the senior is looking to bounce back from an injury suffered last season that limited the 305 pound center from Clermont, Florida to just four games. McCoy has dealt with injuries throughout his time at Florida, but when healthy, he has been a very effective and versatile player for the Gators.

Whether or not McCoy will be the nation’s top center is yet to be seen – especially considering he’s only started a handful of games across his career. But there is no doubt that the senior will be the most important of the 80 players named to his respective unit. The Cards have started walk-ons at the center position, outside of Cole Bentley who has struggled in that role, during most of the Bobby Petrino era and it led to issues with penalties.

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McCoy has only been on campus for a short time, thus why he was listed as the backup center on the first depth chart released by the Cards. My expectation is for McCoy, who was ranked as the 89th best offensive guard in the class of 2015, is that he’ll be the starter come September 2nd against Notre Dame, and will be one of the most important players on the Cardinal roster in Scott Satterfield’s first season.

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