Way too early Louisville football 2020 depth chart: Quarterback

Others: Evan Conley, Tee Webb

Conley (Sophomore), Webb (Freshman)

Scott Satterfield and the Louisville football program won’t have issues with depth at the quarterback position, as we saw them struggle with last year due to injuries to Micale Cunningham and Jawon Pass. With the return of Conley, who was one of the biggest surprises for Louisville last season along with the addition of highly-touted three-star quarterback Webb.

Evan Conley

You could make a very strong argument that Conley deserves the nod as the backup quarterback following his surprising season as a freshman in 2019. After being one of the first recruits to chose the Cardinal program, Conley came into the program without much hype but quickly proved he belonged. With injuries knocking Cunningham out of games like Western Kentucky and Wake Forest, Conley got extended playing time earlier than anticipated and took advantage to the tune of 613 yards and four touchdowns along with 88 rushing yards and a touchdown that came in the final seconds against Wake Forest on a fourth-down run.

While Conley’s play surprised us, he did struggle at times, as a freshman might be expected to. He took far too many sacks (not always his fault), dealt with accuracy issues (56 completion percentage) as well as turnovers (four interceptions).

Playing Conley behind Pass as the third quarterback, giving him a limited number of snaps in games like Murray State and Western Kentucky while being able to redshirt him may be the best scenario for the staff in 2020 – if at all possible. Conley won’t be competing for the starting position regardless, so saving a year of his eligibility (and opening up an

early graduation and transfer scenario) may be smart with Pass back healthy (assuming that happens). However, we saw how injuries can quickly change things and if Pass is unable to go, or ultimately decides to transfer, that would make Conley the de facto backup quarterback and eliminate any redshirt possibility.

Regardless, in his second season, Conley will provide much of the same of what he did last season. A great asset to depth, a contributor when given an opportunity to get on the field, and a player who brings everything he has to the practice field and meeting rooms every day.

Tee Webb

Could a freshman push for the backup spot behind Micale Cunningham? Well, with a redshirt senior and sophomore on board my answer would have to be no, but, that would mean I would be discounting just how good incoming freshman Tee Webb is and could be right away.

While it wasn’t a full spring, Webb did get to go through multiple practices with the team after enrolling early which should help him with his overall development and grasp of the Louisville offense. Much like I mentioned with Conley earlier, the plan for Webb likely will entail him redshirting, in order to maximize his eligibility with him likely to compete to take over for Cunningham next season or the following year.

However, with the new redshirt rule in effect, we’ll likely see the staff push to get Webb a small number of reps in games that get out of hand to help him prepare for his future. With Pass and Conley in front of him, I don’t see a path where Webb is able to win the backup position. That is not because of talent but more because of what’s in front of him and his lack of experience at the college level.

Webb will be a valuable asset whenever he does get on the field thanks to his strong and accurate arm as well the ability to play within the pocket or using his legs to extend plays. He is a great fit for the Satterfield offense, and while he’s still raw, there’s no doubt he could succeed right away (should he need to). At 6’5, he has great size, takes great care of the football by not turning it over, and is mobile enough to be dangerous.

Learning the Louisville offense and getting familar with college football in year one will take priority over getting reps in live games (although I do expect that to happen) and that should help him step into the starting role whenever the time comes.