Louisville football: 5 players who may start as backups but finish as starters

Evan Conley – QB

Three-star quarterback Evan Conley went from a guy who had zero power five offers to an early enrollee at the University of Louisville in a matter of a few months.

After originally choosing App State over the likes of Columbia and Chattanooga, Scott Satterfield gave Conley the chance to prove that he belonged at a power five program after he offered him at Louisville.

While the quarterback battle heading into the 2019 season is really between Jawon Pass and Malik Cunningham (with the job likely going to Pass), Conley shouldn’t be ruled out as a potential starter down the road.

We know that Jawon Pass had a lot of issues last season, mostly related to confidence, but some related to play. He showed struggles with accuracy, reading defenses, and making the throws necessary to keep drives alive and put points on the board. With Cunningham, he showed elite playmaking ability with his legs on numerous occasions but struggled to make throws down the field at any level.

If both struggle again and the Cards season is on the fritz, don’t be surprised to see Satterfield give the young guy a chance. Heading into the 2020 season, the Cards are set to have two quarterbacks enrolling in Tee Webb and Chubba Purdy, and if Satterfield believes that neither Pass or Cunningham is the guy long-term, then Conley could get a chance to prove he may be.

Conley was a big-time player in Georgia playing for Kell high school throwing for more than 6,000 years across three seasons. His recruitment took off late, and though there were no power five offers outside of Louisville, a lot of it had to do with things he couldn’t control.

As Satterfield said earlier this offseason about Conley, “If he was 6’4, 6’5 he’d be able to go anywhere he wanted to go.”

Starting day one seems unlikely, but by the end of the season, things can change for the good or the worse, meaning Conley could be given a shot to show what he can do for the Cards.