Starter: Micale Cunningham
RS junior
For the first time since 2017, Louisville football will head into the season without much question of who their starting quarterback will be, thanks to the strong emergence of Micale Cunningham in 2019.
Heading into last season, Cunningham was neck and neck with Puma Pass for the starting job, but a minor injury held Cunningham out of the final weeks of fall camp and the season opener against Notre Dame.
Cunningham quickly entered the fold, however, in the fourth quarter of game two against Eastern Kentucky and never relinquished the starting job for the rest of the season after Pass was ruled out for the rest of the season due to an injury.
What truly defined Cunningham’s improvement in 2019 was his consistency as a passer; Especially with the deep ball. Entering the season, Cunningham was seen as a run-first QB who wasn’t patient enough to read his progressions, was inconsistent downfield, lacked a power five level arm, and relied on his legs far too much.
That couldn’t be further from what Cunningham proved he was capable of during the season. After a somewhat rocky start to his year in the passing game, it seemed like a light flipped on and he became everything the Cardinals needed him to be and more. He was patient in the pocket, went through progressions, and was absolutely electric in the deep passing game.
Cunningham developed a great connection with receiver Tutu Atwell and struck gold often with Atwell and Dez Fitzpatrick in the intermediate to the long passing game. He became adept at dropping back in the pocket and using his mobility to extend plays and still find his targets.
Surprisingly, the biggest area for improvement in Cunningham’s game this season may be getting him to utilize his legs more. Due to injuries that kept him hobbled for much of the season, Louisville never saw Cunningham running at full speed. If he is fully healthy, the Cardinals can use him a lot more in read-option type of scenarios, thus making the offense that much more deadly.
Outside of his mobility, Cunningham will need to improve on throws to the sidelines as well as in the short passing game. That is two areas that were underutilized in 2019, but the coaches have admitted it was by design. With Dez Fitzpatrick and his younger brother- true freshman Christian Fitzpatrick– serving as two of the better pass catchers in the ACC, Louisville could open up a whole new section of the playbook in 2020.