Louisville football way-too-early depth chart preview: Secondary

Louisville football: Depth/competing for a spot

CB – Greedy Vance (Fr.)

CB – Jamel Starks (Fr.)

CB – Telly Plummer (Jr.)

S – Jack Fagot (R. Jr.)

S – Lovie Jenkins (Fr.)

Much like we saw with the linebackers a few weeks back, the second group in the secondary is filled with mostly youth and players who played in secondary roles on defense or special teams only in 2019.

The recruiting for Louisville has been ridiculous the last two seasons and we’ll begin to see the fruits of that labor this year at both the backup corner and safety spots. The 2020 class featured multiple highly-touted players, two of which just so happen to fall into the “depth/competing for a starting spot” category, including three-star recruits Greedy Vance and Lovie Jenkins who will compete at cornerback and safety respectively.

Vance could potentially in the conversation for a starting role even as a freshman thanks to impressive athleticism and cover skills. His ability to fight with bigger receivers and win whether it be in press coverage or in zone should translate to the college level, especially after spending time in the weight room with Strength Coach Mike Sirigano.

Jenkins will also be a contributor from day at one as a safety after picking Louisville over programs such as Tennessee (where he flipped from), Notre Dame, West Virginia, He’ll bring turnover capabilities from the first time he sees the field and if he gets the ball in his hands, watch out. Jenkins ran a 4.47 40-yard dash and showed that speed off during his three pick six’s as a senior.

They’ll be joined by another incoming recruit in Jamel Starks who was supposed to be apart of the team last season, but had to hold off due to academic standing. He participated in the brief spring practice this February and was able to get familiar with the role he’ll play this year. Chandler Jones, Anthony Johnson, and Marlon Character will see the majority of snaps at corner this year, but Starks should see time in four and five receiver sets and on special teams.

The veteran of the group will be Jack Fagot, whose claim to fame was his interception of Trevor Lawrence during the first half of the Clemson game last season at Cardinal Stadium. The former walk-on provided solid play last year in a reserve role behind Yeast and Pass before being thrust into a starting role late due to a Pass injury. Fagot plays with an extremely high motor and improved each time he took the field last season, proving to be a very valuable piece to the defense and secondary.

Another player who I’m really excited about seeing for the first time, at least in extensive snaps, is defensive back Telly Plummer. Playing in 12 games through his first two years on campus, Plummer has mostly played on special teams, but did total his first three tackles back in 2018 against NC State. He’s a big corner at 6’0 who brings physicality and length to the position and should be able to play in either outside corner spot and even some at safety.