Louisville football: Three underrated players heading into fall camp

Three underrated players for Louisville football.

For Louisville football and head coach Scott Satterfield, the name of the game in the first few seasons of the new coaching staff is going to be finding overlooked and underrated pieces and turning players into guys who can provide effective depth.

Last season, there were a ton of under the radar players who surfaced to become stars under the new staff, while others tabbed into unseen potential in their new roles.

But what about in 2020? Can the Louisville football staff continue to pull rabbits out of hats and use underrated pieces to provide versatility and depth?

If these three players have anything to say about it, that answer is a resounding “yes.”

Here are three underrated Louisville football players to look out for in 2020.

Yasir Abdullah- LB

If there’s a player on this Louisville football roster with a ton of upside that many don’t know much about, it’s junior Yasir Abdullah.

The 6’1,” 225-pound outside linebacker has shown flashes of potential in limited play, but could be looking at a big-time jump in 2020.

In his freshman season, Abdullah was a wrecking ball in limited action. Though undersized in stature, Abdullah was in on a number of big plays and took advantage of his opportunities in an otherwise bleak season.

In 2019, Abdullah began to take form, showing that he was a perfect fit as a speedy “tweener” linebacker under Satterfield. He earned eight starts last season, posting 45 tackles, a sack, four tackles for loss, and an interception.

The Louisville football linebacking core is deep next season, but Abdullah has demonstrated that he is a perfect scheme for for the Cardinals, and he could become a menace- Particularly on situational pass-rushing downs.

We saw last season in spurts how Abdullah and fellow outside linebacker Monty Montgomery are adept at flying downhill and overwhelming the opposing line as pass rushers. They have safety size but play like hybrid linebackers, and the results can prove costly for opponents in third and long down situations.

Abdullah has bulked up his frame (up 7 pounds) from last year, and there’s no reason to believe he can’t pick up where he left off near the end of last season.

He, Rodjay Burns, Nike Okeke, PJ Blue, and Therman Geathers form one of the more dynamic outside linebacking units in the country, giving them the overall depth to set the tone for this Louisville defense.