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Louisville football: Four biggest story lines entering spring practice

By Alex Stengel

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - OCTOBER 05: Head coach Scott Satterfield of the Louisville Cardinals on the field after a win against the Boston College Eagles at Cardinal Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - OCTOBER 05: Head coach Scott Satterfield of the Louisville Cardinals on the field after a win against the Boston College Eagles at Cardinal Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – OCTOBER 26: TuTu Atwell #1 of the Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball against the Virginia Cavaliers on October 26, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – OCTOBER 26: TuTu Atwell #1 of the Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball against the Virginia Cavaliers on October 26, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

How do returning offensive juggernauts Javian Hawkins & Tutu Atwell elevate their games after breaking records in 2019?

As promising as Micale’s progression was at QB1 this past season, nothing excites me more than the return of the Cardinals record breakers on offense: RB Javian Hawkins and WR Tutu Atwell.

Louisville has not seen a more dynamic offensive duo since maybe Teddy Bridgewater and Devante Parker, and especially with both players being under 5′ 10” (its an advantage, I promise).

Hawkins amazed with his consistency and breakout runs every game, finishing with over 1,500 yards rushing (1,525) and becoming Louisville’s first RB since Bilal Powell to run for over 1,000 yards in a season – as a freshman.

Similar to Micale, I can easily see Hawkins surpass his rushing numbers from this past season even with the offensive line replacing everyone’s favorite tackle, Mehki Becton. With the experience of playing against ACC caliber defenses, and running past them a good amount of the time, I expect Javian to build on what he’s already accomplished in his first year as a starter.

And then there’s Tutu.

You know, that one small yet fast receiver that everyone thought had a few anomaly highlight plays at the beginning of the season? Except it wasn’t an anomaly, as Atwell made crazy look normal time and time again on the field last year.

According to Louisville football website, ‘One of the most explosive receivers in college football, Atwell led the country with five receptions of 60+ yards, four of 70, two of 80, and one of 90 this year to post an 18.5 yards per catch average, which ranked 29th nationally.’

And did I mention he was a QB in high school? Satterfield used that skill too:

Atwell finished 2019 with 70 receptions, a Louisville record 1,276 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns and a highlight reel full of explosive, long-yardage plays. Grading out as the top receiver in the ACC last season, its no surprise Tutu has been listed on several lists and websites as a top college receiver for 2020.

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