Way-too-early Louisville football depth chart preview: Linebackers
By Jacob Lane
Louisville football: Depth/competing for starting spot
Card – Marvin Dallas (Jr.)
Inside – Monty Montgomery (Jr.)
Inside – Robert Hicks (Jr.)
Outside – Nick Okeke (Sr.)
One thing that may quickly be forgotten from the 2019 season is that in his first season playing at the power five level out of the junior college ranks, Monty Montgomery led the Louisville football program in sacks – as a rotational backup. Let that sink in.
The amount of depth and firepower behind the starters will only push the defense’s ceiling higher, and that all starts with Montgomery. Last year the junior college transfer quickly proved his worth after being one of the most hyped players during fall camp, showing the ability to make crucial tackles in space while also getting into the backfield of opposing offenses to blow up plays before they could go anywhere.
Again, his 27 total tackles and five sacks all came as a primary backup to Dorian Etheridge and CJ Avery – two of which came in crucial moments in a win over Virginia. Look for more of the same from Montgomery this year.
This should be the year where we get to finally see former four-star recruit Robert Hicks play a prominent role in the defense for Scott Satterfield. Last year Hicks was initially moved to the defensive line, before he opted to enter the transfer portal only to return to the program and move back to linebacker. Playing mostly special teams (and some outside linebacker) Hicks rarely saw the field and finished with just five tackles.
Back at his natural position inside, Hicks will get more time play behind Etheridge and we should begin to see the flashes we saw in 2018 during Louisville’s dumpster fire of a season. He’s a solid tackler who has great vision and great power, and when you’re trying to compete against the likes of Clemson and Florida State, having as many guys who can provide versatility and playmaking is crucial.
As if there weren’t enough veterans, Louisville will also bring back another solid contributor from last year’s group; Nick Okeke. The redshirt junior linebacker has played in 23 games over his first three years including 12 in 2019 in which he made two starts. Finishing the season with 24 tackles and one sack, Okeke was a reliable player outside and proved that he was capable of providing speed and solid tackling in the run game. Most of his production came in the team’s matchup against Notre Dame (7 tackles, one sack), so this season a primary focus will have to be on consistency and adding more to his pass-rushing arsenal in order to get on the field and stay on the field.
Star junior college transfer Marvin Dallas will likely be the team’s primary backup at the CARD/outside linebacker position and he’ll bring a new level of speed and athleticism to the field. The former cornerback turned hybrid linebacker was a problem at Georgia Military College due to his ability to wear so many hats, whether that be as a run-stopper, pass-rusher, coverage linebacker, or a guy capable of putting an offensive player in the dirt in the open field.
He’s still a little too small to play a full-time role at just 195-pounds, but I expect to see him play a similar role to what Montomgery did in 2019 and as a prominent special teams player.