Way too early Louisville football depth chart preview: Pass catchers

Back-ups

• X – Corey Reed (Junior), Y – Braden Smith (Sophomore), Z – Tyler Harrell (RS sophomore)

Corey Reed

After choosing Louisville football over multiple other high-level power five programs, Corey Reed was one of several players who were forced to watch from the sidelines due to the high number of receivers on the roster. That combined with him being moved back and forth between WR and safety, ultimately led to Reed putting his name in the transfer portal last offseason.

After initially committing to play at Georgia State as a transfer, Reed ultimately ended up at Iowa Western Community College last season where he was immediately eligible and played in four games before deciding to return back to Louisville for 2020.

Working at wide receiver, multiple coaches went out of their way to praise Reed’s work-ethic through the spring practice, as well as his position versatility. Satterfield mentioned Reed’s ability to star on special teams but also thought there could be a chance he goes back to playing at safety, a position of need for the Cards.

"“He had a great first day at wide receiver. He’s a guy that could move to the defensive side of the ball. But I think right now we are working him at wide receiver and I hope he finds a role there. If nothing else, he will have a huge role in special teams."

Reed has all the potential this season to step into a more prominent back-up role and thrive in the Louisville offense. 

Tyler Harrell

We’ve written about a lot of players this offseason, but this is the first time we’ve mentioned Tyler Harrell who was a touted recruit coming out of high school – which says a lot.

We’ve known that the Louisville football roster was loaded at the receiver position for quite some time now, and while it’s taken time, it appears that the chances of Harrell seeing the field in extended chunks could be in the Cards this year.

Harrell will bring his 4.4 40-yard dash speed to the field giving the Cards and Cunningham an unlimited number of speedy options. He’s yet to appear in more than two games in a single season, with his redshirt freshman season being his most productive thus far, but that should all change this season.

Braden Smith

One of the wild cards to have a breakout season this year is JUCO transfer Braden Smith. From all reports out of spring practice, Smith was extremely impressive working behind Atwell in the slot, and he could free things up for the coaching staff as far as the offensive playbook.

We saw last year that the Cards would pick and choose when to take deep shots to Atwell. Now, they can be a bit more liberal about going vertical with Smith in the fold. He has similar breakaway speed and excellent footwork off the line.

Look for Smith to see the field regardless of how well Atwell performs this season.