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Way too early Louisville football depth chart preview: Offensive line

By Presley Meyer

CHAPEL HILL, NC - SEPTEMBER 09: The Louisville Cardinals offensive line during the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Louisville won 47-35. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - SEPTEMBER 09: The Louisville Cardinals offensive line during the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Louisville won 47-35. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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TALLAHASSEE, FL – SEPTEMBER 21: Defensive Back Russ Yeast #3, Tackle Mekhi Becton #73 and Guard Robbie Bell #75 of the Louisville Cardinals take to the field during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on September 21, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles defeated the Cardinals 35 to 24. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL – SEPTEMBER 21: Defensive Back Russ Yeast #3, Tackle Mekhi Becton #73 and Guard Robbie Bell #75 of the Louisville Cardinals take to the field during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on September 21, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles defeated the Cardinals 35 to 24. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

Louisville football: Backups

OG- Luke Kandra (Fr.), OG- Cam DeGeorge (R-Sr), OT- Trevor Reid (Jr.), OT- Tim Lawson (Fr.), C- Jackson Gregory (R-Fr.), OT- Zach Williamson (R-Fr.)

To my recollection, it’s been at least a decade since Louisville football’s depth in the trenches has looked this promising. The Cardinals are young along the two deep, but every player brings great size and had a solid list of offers coming out of high school. After seeing what the relationships that Ledford builds with his linemen, deemed the “Band of Brothers,” players are jumping at the opportunity to learn and grow under his tutelage.

Louisville football’s depth starts with graduate transfer interior lineman Cameron DeGeorge. The fifth year senior comes to Louisville by way of UConn. Though he comes from a school not known for its football prowess, DeGeorge is a big loss for the Huskies. He started 34 of his 36 career games in Storrs, Connecticut and has been a mainstay along the UConn offensive line since his freshman year.

While DeGeorge will push his fellow veterans on the interior, the youngster most likely to vie for playing time in this position group is true freshman Luke Kandra. Friend of the BRL podcast Barton Simmons ranks Kandra as one of the top 20 freshmen ready to play right away in 2020:

"“There was a nice turnaround for Louisville in Year 1 of the Scott Satterfield era, but Year 2 is when the real heavy lifting begins,” Simmons said. “There’s talk that Kandra can be ready to start on the offensive line immediately.”"

Kandra, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, received a significant ratings boost in the 247Sports rankings to end this cycle and he’s expected to come in and see playing time right away. That’s great news for the Cardinals, who have quite a bit of experience in the middle, but have had to do some shuffling in years prior due to injuries or to fit schemes. Kandra should be a lock to start by year two barring any set-backs.

On the outside, Zach Williamson will compete for the starting job in 2020, and most likely with Renato Brown. Williamson was Louisville’s highest-rated player in the 2019 class, and was a priority for the staff after some shuffling during the coaching transition. He ultimately chose the Cards over Penn State, Kentucky, and West Virginia among others, and should be ready to go after a redshirt year. If there’s a starter come the fall that many didn’t expect to see, it very well could be Williamson, who is an agile 6’6,” 290- Up 15 pounds since his arrival.

Louisville’s first commitment of the 2020 class was from JUCO tackle Trevor Reid. The Georgia Military product was a JUCO All-American last season. His biggest concern is probably going to be putting on weight right away, as he is listed at 6’5,” 265-pounds. However, it’s hard to see aN athletic 2019 All-American not finding some PT early on.

Timothy Lawson is a dark horse to surface in the starting lineup at one of the tackles. You could probably see Lawson vying for immediate playing time on the left side behind Adonis Boone, and in very limited time during the spring, the true freshman impressed the coaching staff. Here’s what Satterfield had to say about Lawson in the spring, via 247Sports:

"“Offensive lineman Tim Lawson, a three-star signee, displayed the potential to become part of the depth chart during the team’s seven practice sessions. “Lawson upfront did some things,” Satterfield said. “He’s very athletic.” The 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive tackle is poised to provide key depth for an offensive line tutored by second-year coach Dwayne Ledford."

Lastly, Louisville football’s depth is rounded out by center Jackson Gregory. Though he projects based on his high school experience as a center, Gregory could slide over to any interior lineman spot and thrive. He participated in four games as a redshirt freshman, and if Bell or Bentley is not able to go, Gregory would be able to fill in adequately.

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