Louisville football: The 50 greatest Cardinals of all time
Coming out of Eastside High School in Covington, Georgia, Sheldon Rankins was a massive addition to Cardinals’ defensive line at 6-foot-3, 303 pounds, but was not a guy that many people thought could develop into one of the most dominant linemen in program history.
But with hard work and dedication to his craft, we quickly began to see Rankins as a player with the ability to go down in the record books. His explosiveness in the gaps earned him a solid reputation throughout his collegiate career as the strong side defensive tackle.
When he arrived on the Louisville campus, he wasted no time hopping right to it. Though his first two years were merely serving as a backup, as a freshman, he made three tackles in his first start as a college football player. He chipped in with a sack for a loss of 11 yards during U of L’s beatdown of Florida in the 2013 Sugar Bowl.
His junior and senior seasons were something of beauty. He started every game in those seasons, where he combined for 111 tackles, 14 sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery for a touchdown (which is still one of the biggest defensive plays of the last decade).
He had the unique ability to be assertive even in a double-team situation, whether it be on the outside or right up the gut, and even make tackles or help shut down runs in the backfield with multiple blockers covering him.
Defensive running schemes mostly centered around Rankins in his later college years, taking away seams on the weak side and eliminating far-stretching pitch plays in favor of funneling the rusher right into his assignment areas.
His prowess still haunts even the most elite passers and backfields in the NFL to this day. Sheldon was selected No. 12 overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 2016 NFL Draft. He’s developed into one of the most dominant interior linemen in all the NFL when healthy.
Much like with Jamon Brown and John Miller, Louisville has had trouble finding a player upfront on the defensive side of the ball who is able to dominant and draw attention from offensive lines. His power and size combined with nimble feet and sneaky athleticism are what make him a Cardinal legend.