Louisville football: Predicting the Cards defensive MVP for 2019

C.J. Avery – ILB

This may come as a surprise to many, as Dorian Etheridge is the guy that is currently being talked about as the “star of the defense. There’s no denying that Etheridge is one of, if not the most important player on the defense due to his two years of starting experience and the respect he commands as a leader of the group. But to me, the player that I see emerging as the team’s most valuable player season end is C.J. Avery.

As I noted earlier, Avery had a quality sophomore season as he transitioned from safety to linebacker. He’s moving again from outside linebacker, to play inside and that’ll open up the field for him to make a lot more tackles and a lot more plays.

Bringing his skills as a safety to linebacker, not only will Avery likely lead the tackle due to his speed and instincts to find the football, but he’s also going to have a chance to intercept a lot of passes or at least tip them due to his ability to cover the middle of the field.

Nothing in 2019 will be more important than speed and tackling for the Louisville defense, and without question, those are the two best traits of Avery. While Etheridge is more experienced overall, there are going to be times where he won’t have the speed to close on an opposing offensive player, which is what will make Avery so important.

It takes 11-plus guys to win football games, but I have no reason to believe that there will be one, if not more, games where Avery will tip the scale in Louisville’s favor due to his elite playmaking ability.