Louisville football: Graduate transfers who could be a fit for Cards

Ryan Gilmartin – UConn

Position: Inside linebacker

Eligible: Right away

2019 production: 29 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack

During his post-Early Signing Period press conference, Scott Satterfield mentioned that there still positions of need that he and his staff had intentions on working on leading up to February’s final signing period.

One of those positions was inside linebacker, a group you really wouldn’t think needs much help considering the production of starters C.J. Avery and Dorian Etheridge, along with reserve Monty Montgomery who was a nice surprise in 2019. However, Satterfield included the inside linebacker spot as well as a few others on his list of needs, which bring us to our fourth potential transfer target, Ryan Gilmartin.

If you visit the transfer portal Gilmartin is not one of the names you’re likely to be familar with, and with a quick scroll could be a player you completely zoom over especially considering where he played his college ball. However, in my opinion, he’s a player that I could see at Louisville considering his intangibles and experience.

If Louisville does decide to pursue an inside linebacker, my guess would be for that athlete to resemble 2019 graduate-transfer T.J. Holl in both talent and role on the field. Holl saw a major decrease in his snaps compared to what he was used to, but it made sense considering the talent difference and adjustment needing to be made at the ACC. When Holl got his moment, he took advantage of it getting to play quite a bit in the Music City Bowl following the ejection of Etheridge.

While Gilmartin doesn’t have anywhere near the same production as Holl did at Colgate, where he was the 2018 Patriot League DPOY, what he brings is similar. Experience. Leadership. Smarts. High motor, and the willingness to be ready when his number is called. During his four-year career at UConn, a program that is very hard to succeed at, Gilmartin totaled 46 tackles (21 solo), three tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception.

The thing about Gilmartin that makes him a near-perfect fit at Louisville is his willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed. The soon to be senior linebacker had just one high-major offer coming out of high school, picking UConn over the likes of Ohio, Army, and Coastal Carolina – mostly due to his size. At 5’11, the inside linebacker is undersized by most comparisons, and it caused him to go under the radar.

At UConn, he dealt with years of losing and living at the bottom of college football. Despite the program’s failures that included three defensive coordinators in four years, Gilmartin continued to work hard – eventually earning a starting role in his final season and delivering solid production.

Before the start of the season, Gilmartin delivered a quote after being asked about the struggles of the UConn program, via The Middletown Press that shows the type of person and player he is. He said:

"“I just feel like that is who I am, how I was raised. Just because something didn’t go your way, I am going to stick with it, keep working and pushing because there is light at the end of the tunnel.”"

We talk about it all the time with Satterfield and company but football ability is only a portion of what they are looking for. As Cort Dennison told Mark Ennis a few weeks ago on 93.9 The Ville’s “The Drive,” they look at intangibles like how hard you’re willing to work, how much you’re willing to endure to win, and what type of person you are.

His mentality and approach to the game combined with playing in a specialized, smaller role at Louisville, where undersized linebackers seem to be a thing, seems like a perfect match. Gilmartin’s speed, instincts, and experience would be a valuable addition to a group that could be the defense’s strongest next season