Louisville football: Can Cards go over 7 wins in 2020?

Why Louisville can reach eight or more wins

Returning every skill position player

Here’s the positive news for Louisville football in 2020, Every skill position player on offense not named Seth Dawkins returns for another year.

On an offense that was 31st in the country in scoring (31.4 ppg), that’s a big deal. Presumptive starter Micale Cunningham is still in the fold, and backups Puma Pass, Evan Conley, and newcomer Tee Webb round out an extremely talented and versatile QB room. Running backs Javian Hawkins and Hassan Hall make for the most dynamic backfield duo in the country, and their back-ups aren’t too shabby either.

Meanwhile, the Louisville receiving core continues to improve behind Tutu Atwell, Dez Fitzpatrick, Justin Marshall, Corey Reed, and Tyler Harrell, while newcomers Christian Fitzpatrick and Braden Smith will push for playing time.

The Cardinals are blazing quick on offense, and project to continue to improve in all facets in 2020.

Implementing “the rest” of the offense

Satterfield and his assistants Frank Ponce and Dwayne Ledford have emphasized that Louisville was only working with a small portion of the playbook in 2019, and that’s a scary prospect for opponents.

The Cardinals scored 42, 38, 41, 62, 34, 56, and 38 points in seven of their thirteen games in 2019, but showed a bit of inconsistency on offense at times, only putting up 10 against Clemson and 13 against Kentucky.

Louisville will look to hang significant points on the board in every game by expanding its offense and entrusting Cunningham to become more of a decision-maker with the ball in his hands.

The junior quarterback could see an expanded role in the designed run and RPO corners of the playbook, which would make him an even more deadly weapon for ACC opponents.

The addition of slot receiver Braden Smith could be massive for the Cards in 2020. Atwell, the presumptive starter in the slot, showed he is deadly when he turns on the burners and gets behind defenses, but it costs Louisville a play or two without him every time they send him deep. If Smith can come in and be just as lethal, the Cards can run speedsters all over the field.

There are a ton of options for Satterfield and Ledford this season, including an expanded role for Marshon Ford- the ACC’s leader in touchdown receptions from a tight end- and darkhorse Heisman candidate Javian Hawkins.

New defensive weapons

Louisville will enter 2020 only losing just three full-time starters in defensive linemen GG Robinson and Amonte Caban as well as safety Khane Pass while bringing in 12 new defensive players from their recruiting efforts.

Perhaps the biggest game-changers in 2020 on the defensive side of the ball, however, could be some of the Cards’ newcomers.

Louisville struggled to create pressure in the passing game and was often pushed backward in the running game on the line in 2019. That could be destined to change this fall with the Cards’ newest additions.

Yaya Diaby was perhaps the biggest snag of this entire recruiting class. The rising junior defensive end out of Georgia Military Academy has the ability to be Louisville’s best pass rusher from day one for the Cards.

Diaby could potentially start at one end and freshman Ja’Darien Boykin may very well start at the other end. Upon his commitment in 2019, Mark Ivey remarked that “when the ball gets moved, his quick-twitch is going to allow him to create problems for offensive line coaches as well as offensive lineman.” After sitting out a year while academically ineligible, Boykin enters as a true freshman in 2020 with the potential to be a true star in Bryan Brown’s system.

In the middle of the line, the Cards add true freshman Henry Bryant. Senior Jared Goldwire is the presumptive starter, but Bryant is going to push him for snaps in the rotation.

Lastly, the Cards will bring heralded freshman Lovie Jenkins in to compete for a spot at safety, and their second non-qualifier from the 2019 class Jamel Starks will have a great shot at earning snaps at one of the corner spots.

Louisville will be young in some areas on defense, but the additions of some top talent will push the presumptive starters in fall practice and into the season and potentially add some speed and athleticism to the starting lineup that wasn’t there in 2019.