Louisville Cardinals fans have so much to be thankful for in 2019

Behind Vince Tyra and his powerful stable of coaches and student-athletes, Louisville Cardinals’ fans have so much to be thankful for.

Each year we gather around the table with some of our closest family and friends to celebrate all that we are thankful for.

There’s food, there’s football, there’s more food, there’s usually bourbon and other assortments of alcohol, and of course, there’s joy.

While we celebrate the things in our lives that make us grateful it’s hard to ignore our beloved Louisville Cardinals. With the no. 2 ranked men’s basketball team, no. 8 ranked women’s team, a seven (soon to be eight) win football team, led by an incredible man in Scott Satterfield who has completely changed the course of the program’s future in a matter of months, amongst plenty of other things.

With that in mind, we polled the Big Red Louie team of writers to find out what they are most thankful for when it comes to the Louisville Cardinals this year.

Jacob Lane: This Thanksgiving, I’m most thankful for having the best player in the ACC

No matter who, where, when, how, or why, I know that if I put Louisville’s top bucket getter against yours I’m betting every penny I have that he’s going to win that matchup. In fact, in what should be the best conference in America this season, I am comfortable saying that my Louisville basketball program is home to the best player in the ACC.

Louisville has had plenty of players over the years who are capable of scoring and doing so at an electric rate. But in my two-plus decades of being a Cardinal fan, there has been no player (aside from maybe Reece Gaines) who can change the game quite like Jordan Nwora.

In a blink of an eye Nwora is more than capable of taking a game that’s close, or even out of reach for Louisville, and either putting it away or carrying the Cards to victory. The fact is that three’s are more than two’s and with Jordan’s ability to square up and drain three’s, even contested ones, from all over make him the most dangerous player in the country. (YEAH I SAID IT, WHAT’S UP?)

In a season where Nwora is the odds on favorite to be named ACC Player of the Year, he is already over-achieving compared to what we saw last year, doing so in a much more efficient manner. Through six games, Nwora is averaging 21.3 points per game, along with a little over seven rebounds shooting 50 percent from the field and an INCREDIBLE 52 percent from three (he’s already shot 31 three’s this season and has made 16).

Louisville will have their first tough stretch of games over the next three weeks, starting with Western Kentucky in Nashville, followed up with Michigan at home, a matchup with ACC foe Pittsburgh, followed up with Texas Tech in New York City,

No matter who Louisville faces, I am thankful feeling comfortable that any point in a game the switch can be flipped on and no. 33 can go from two, four, or six points to as many as 30-plus in a matter of minutes.

Presley Meyer: This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for Bobby Petrino

I know, I know. What the hell, right?

This time last year, Louisville was beginning a fresh head coaching search and fans were narrowing their focus on Jeff Brohm while trying to swallow their pride and hope for a loss that wasn’t too big of a blowout against rival Kentucky. The Cards capped off their 2-win season and probably the programs worst season ever with a home field shellacking at the hands of the Cats.

2019 has been completely different. Sure, Louisville football has some holes in the roster. They have certainly fallen back on some bad habits. But culture-wise and overall play on the field has been a complete 180 from the Petrino era.

Louisville football is so much fun again. Saturdays are a literal party. And that vaunted Cardinals offense is a blessing in and of itself.

Petrino was hired a second time to help the Cards keep winning. Instead, he left a program in shambles. This year, I’m thankful for a constant reminder of just how bad it can be and just how far Louisville football has come.

2018 was humbling. 2019 was worth the wait.

Alex Stengel: This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for a fired position coach that happened to alter the course of Louisville’s history forever.

Look – most of you are off work reading this lounging in those old, soft, giant holiday sweatpants you own (jealously, not judgment), so why not throw a little mystery and intrigue into this holiday piece, right?

Unless you’ve decided to completely abstain from watching professional football this season, and every sports show as well for that matter, then you might’ve heard our guy Lamar Jackson is having himself a pretty decent year so far.

And if you’re in the 99.9% of people that are reading this particular article, I’m assuming you might know where I’m going with this.

I lied – Lamar has been otherworldy as a starter this year,  as the current front runner for the NFL MVP has shown no signs of slowing down.

But there’s another Lamar I want to recognize and thank first – Lamar Thomas.

Although it was a quick stint at Louisville as an assistant coach before jumping onto the staff of in-state rival UK, Thomas managed to play a part in landing the best football player to ever wear a UofL jersey – Lamar ‘action’ Jackson.

Thomas not only had to convince (and guarantee) Jackson’s mother, Felicia Jones, that the only position he would play at the school would be QB – he had to persuade Petrino that Jackson was a QB Louisville wanted.

I’m thankful that Lamar is having his coming-out party to the rest of the world via total domination of the NFL in his first full season as a starter.

I’m thankful that everyone is now witness to his intangible greatness and charisma on and off the field.

And yes – I’m thankful for the former assistant Louisville football coach that recruited him,  allowing our program to be the foundation and platform for a superstar playmaker whose professional career is now blasting off.

Now go eat some turkey.

Charron Elliott: This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for Jeff Brohm saying no.

When the University of Louisville decided to exile Bobby Petrino a lot of fans felt like only Purdue coach and former Louisville Cardinals Jeff Brohm was the great fit to lead the football program, but Scott Satterfield has already proved that he was the better choice.

Scott has brought with him a passionate staff and overall culture that has won not only fans over but the players love him. While I feel like Jeff Brohm is a good coach, I have strongly felt that he wasn’t the guy we needed to lead our football program.

The fact that Tyra gave someone like Satterfield who had much success at a smaller school and no affiliation with U of L has proven to be the right choice thus far and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.