Louisville football: Five defensive players with most to prove in 2020
By Alex Payton
C.J. Avery – ILB
2019 stats: 93 tackles, 62 solo, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 6 PD, 1 FR
Here is another player hoping to make enough of an impact his senior season to get drafted. C.J Avery is the senior inside linebacker for the Cards that recorded 62 solo tackles last season along with three sacks becoming one of the most consistent and productive members of an ever-improving defense.
As a highly recruited high school talent coming out of Grenada, Mississippi, Avery was recruited as a safety but has since moved to the linebacker position and put on some weight. Last year we saw him thrive as a run stopper and sure-tackler, two areas the Cards had tendencies to struggle with, as well as a player capable of getting into the backfield on blitzes and even someone able to drop back into zone coverages and make plays on tight ends and receivers.
Avery returns this season happy not having to switch schemes, like every Cardinal is, for the first time in his career at UofL. He discussed the positive impact of continuity that the defense will see in 2020.
“It’s amazing,” he said following a practice during spring. “Man, I can’t tell you how happy I was knowing that I wouldn’t have to learn a new playbook, new terminology and things like that. It’s been really fun and I have a great grasp of the defense.”
With a return for defensive coordinator Bryan Brown, Avery talked about the ability generated for him and his teammates to play at a faster pace. When players know the scheme, know where they are supposed to be, it allows them to play and react.
He will be one of the leaders of the defense in 2020 and hopes to improve on the numbers from last season. Avery discussed in his interview that he learns and gets better every day. If he continues to do so, he will prove himself at the linebacker position for the Cards this season.