Way too early Louisville football depth chart preview: Pass catchers

Louisville football brings back one of the most dynamic offenses in all of college football thanks to their experience and talent at wide receiver and tight end. We preview the pass catchers (WR/TE) depth chart.

We knew that the Louisville football offense had the potential to be really good in 2019 thanks to their talent, depth, and versatility at the pass-catcher positions of wide receiver and tight end, but I’m not sure many expected them to provide the production that they did in Scott Satterfield’s first season.

Dez Fitzpatrick, Seth Dawkins, and Tutu Atwell gave Satterfield easily his most dynamic group of receivers in his coaching career, and he took advantage of it in a major way as the Cards totaled over 3,000 yards in passing offense in 2019.

Atwell led the way for Louisville with 1,276 yards and 12 touchdowns, breaking the all-time receiving yards in a season record amongst others, on way to being named All-ACC First-Team and finishing first in nearly every major statistic.

Behind him were Fitzpatrick, who got back to the production level of his freshman season, and Dawkins, two proven playmakers that gave Louisville a fair share of big plays. The biggest surprise came from Marshon Ford, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship, who went on to be one of the ACC’s top tight ends and another weapon for Micale Cunningham.

This season Louisville will once again have a ton of depth and experience, as Atwell and Fitzpatrick return along with a number of others who have been waiting patiently for their chance at more playing time to prove their worth. The Cards will also welcome several new players, most notably Christian Fitzpatrick, JUCO standout Braden Smith, Corey Reed (While not new, Reed returns to the Cards after a brief stint away), as well as tight end’s/h-back Duane Martin and Desmond Daniels, all of whom should at least compete for playing time right away.

Editor’s note: The hardest thing about writing this piece is knowing that Dexter Rentz won’t get the chance to play college football after having his life taken at the age of 18. Our prayers go out to the Rentz family and the entire Louisville football program. 

Satterfield had a ton of success with his offense in year one as the head coach at Louisville and there’s no question that with another offseason with his team and the majority of his players back, the group should take another big step in 2019. Part of that will be on Satterfield, Gunter Brewer, and the offensive staff to get the most out of Fitzpatrick and the rest of the talent outside while incorporating new options at tight end to replace two key veterans.

Depth chart preview: Quarterback

Depth chart preview: Running back

Without further ado, let’s take our first look at the wide receiver and tight end spots on the 2020 Louisville football depth chart.