Louisville football 2019 depth chart preview: Running back

Hassan Hall (Sophomore)

With the injury to Williams in 2018, a role was opened for true freshman Hassan Hall to fill.

The rookie would finish the season as the leading (non-quarterback) rusher on the team. The problem is that he split carries with Williams, Colin Wilson (who would enter the transfer portal in the offseason), Trey Smith (now out in Laramie ready to suit-up as a Wyoming Cowboy), and Jeremy Smith.

Those were just the running backs that saw a significant amount of carries. He also had to compete with his quarterbacks for carries, as well.

When all was said and done, Hall finished with 70 carries for 303 yards and three touchdowns.

Those numbers aren’t eye-popping, but considering Louisville played from behind a lot, Petrino called plays like a seven-year-old playing Madden, and he had to split carries with a busload of players, they aren’t too bad.

We got to see his ability on a number of occasions, and he played his best in the nail-biter against Florida State.

Hall has breakaway speed (as was evident by his kickoff return for touchdown against Clemson’s fourth-stringers.) According to coach Satterfield, Hall has also bulked up to prepare to carry the load for the Cards.

"“Hassan Hall is up to 202 pounds. He played at 180 last year.” -Scott Satterfield"

It is safe to assume most of that 20 pounds added is muscle and I can’t imagine how much of problem Hall will be to bring down at that size.

While Hall is the prohibitive favorite now, there are two other names we should keep an eye on.

Javian Hawkins (Redshirt freshman)

The unknown commodity.

Javian Hawkins played, briefly, early in 2018 before being tagged with a redshirt and sitting the rest of the year.

We know nothing about what he can do on the field as a Cardinal because he was given two carries in his short cameo, but we are able to see the numbers he put up in high school and they tell the tale of a star.

Hawkins finished his high school career in Florida with over 4,000 rushing yards and 40 scores.

Then you take what Louisville running backs coach Norval McKenzie said in the spring and you start to get excited.

"“We are very excited about (Javian) Hawkins. He may be a little deceiving in terms of his body type, but he’s actually a strong kid. He brings a lot to the table for us…he’s very electric.” -Norval McKenzie"

Even though his 5’9″ stature may be looked at as a negative, I see him being very elusive and hard to tackle. You can’t tackle him if you can’t catch him.

Hawkins sits at number two on the current depth chart.

Dae Williams (Redshirt Junior)

This is it for Dae. It’s now or never.

I covered part of his story at the beginning, and we’ve covered it further here.

Williams wasn’t even listed on the three-deep post-spring depth chart. Whether that was the coaching staff trying to motivate him or not, that’s only known in the coaching offices.

I would imagine Williams starts the season as the third option in the backfield, so he needs to make the most of each opportunity he is given.

Jalen Mitchell (Freshman)

After being heavily pursued by Scott Satterfield and his staff at Appalachian State, three-star running back Jalen Mitchell eventually ended up committing to the Cards and will bring a lot to the backfield in 2019.

Mitchell is a “very, very big kid, physical kid, who does a lot of great things with the ball in his hand,” according to new Louisville football running backs coach Norval McKenzie, who has the ability to make plays when he gets the chance.

As of now, he’s more likely to be a redshirt candidate, but if there’s any sort of injury to Dae Williams or even Hassan Hall, Mitchell may be the first guy in line to receive carries. He’ll need to show that he can pick up blitzes as well as catch the ball out of the backfield, two important parts of the Satterfield offense – and if he does, he may see the field more than we think.

Aidan Robbins (Freshman)

Local product Adian Robbins first committed to Louisville under the previous regime, but when Scott Satterfield and his staff arrived, he was one of the very few kids whose commitment was honored.

Robbins enrolled in January and has had time to not only recover from his season-ending injury but get acclimated to the program. At 6’2, 220-pounds Robbins gives Satterfield another bruising tailback who can move the ball on short down or goal-line situations, while also having the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and make people miss.

With several other talented backs on the roster, Robbins could be looking at a redshirt season as a freshman, but if injuries happen, the Cards have another dangerous weapon that they can turn to.