Louisville football: 5 position battles to watch for this fall
By Jacob Lane
Outside linebacker: Yasir Abdullah v. Kam Wilson v. Nick Okeke
I am not sure why exactly, but for some reason, I am most excited about watching what happens in the position battle for the starting outside linebacker spot opposite of Rodjay Burns. For each of the last two seasons, there hasn’t been a player on the Louisville defense who I’ve been more intrigued by than rising junior Yasir Abdullah.
In terms of the eye test, Abdullah passes with flying colors when you watch him on tape. Abdullah is a freak of nature who has muscles growing out of muscles, combining size, power, and speed at the position. While still raw and learning, Abdullah flashed last year recording 45 tackles and one sack along with one interception and two fumble recoveries to go along with it.
He’s primarily thrived in the run game thus far but the ceiling is high with Abdullah as a pass-rusher which is what I believe the staff will be looking for the most out of the outside linebacker spot.
READ MORE: Way-too-early Linebacker depth chart preview
His primary competition will come from incoming freshman Kam Wilson and rising senior Nick Okeke. Wilson comes in as the lone four-star in the class of 2020 and the defensive player with the most hype and expectation to produce right away.
Praised for his pass-rush abilities, Wilson will have the benefit of having gone through spring practice but still will be far behind Abdullah and even Okeke inexperience. That probably will prove to be a bit tough to overcome, but his skill, size, and talent will make it extremely challenging to keep off the field.
Louisville had one of the worst pass rushes in all of the ACC last season and they will look to Wilson to provide an immediate boost.
They’ll also look for Okeke to do the same, whether that be as a starter or role player. He got the nod as a starter at OLB for the first two games of the season last year before moving to a backup role, but his experience and combination of size & speed should allow him to compete once again. Okeke was responsible for 24 tackles and one sack last season, which was solid contribution, but won’t be enough this season from a starter.
My money is on Abdullah not only to be the starter on day one but also one of the team’s leading tacklers by seasons end. The speed and hitting power he brings to the field are a game-changer in my opinion (dude is a legit missile).