Ranking the 25 most important players for Louisville football in 2019

With the thought of a better defense fresh in your mind, redshirt-sophomore Anthony Johnson has the potential for a breakout year at cornerback for Louisville football.

With a year of experience already under him, Johnson has shown he is ready to excel in Coach Brown’s new system. Although the initial depth chart showed Johnson behind 5th-year graduate and defensive leader Cornelius Sturghill, Johnson will still see ample time at CB this season.

With Coach Brown’s defense predicated on a simple, yet effective, cause and effect: put consistent pressure on the QB, forcing quicker decisions – giving the secondary more opportunities to make plays.

Because of this new defense,  we look to Anthony and the rest of the secondary as one of the most improved position groups going into 2019. BRL’s Jacob Lane provided a quick insight as to why in a recent article –

"Late last season as the rest of the secondary floundered, Johnson looked like a rising cornerback who could one day become the lockdown player the Cards needed. Now, with Bryan Brown as the co-defensive coordinator and cornerback coach, a player who did a great job of creating chaos for opposing receivers (at least to the best of his ability in a broken defensive system) will get the chance to star outside. With the defense focusing on creating turnovers by wreaking havoc, Johnson could have a big season, especially forcing interceptions. He’s long, athletic, quick, rangy and has just about everything Brown looks for.’"

Louisville fans have sorely missed the days of great defenses under former staff’s. With a new direction and effort from players like Anthony Johnson – we should expect to see glimpses of Coach Brown’s turnover machine in year one.