Louisville football: The 25 most important players for 2020
No. 1: Micale Cunningham – Quarterback
Redshirt junior
2019 stats: 2,065 yards passing, 22 pass TD, 482 yards rushing, 6 rush TD
Micale Cunningham is a winner.
There may be a handful of players on this Louisville team that have a little more god-given talent, but nobody is going to outwork the Cardinals quarterback.
Nobody on this Louisville team has a career that could have been defined more by injuries, yet Cunningham has refused to allow that to be the narrative of his game.
After a freshman year where he was shuffled in and out of the lineup, Cunningham was neck-and-neck with Puma Pass heading into last season. Then, a freak injury put Cunningham on the sideline for game one against Notre Dame, and the majority of game two against EKU.
The rest of the way, Cunningham was the starter but was sidelined with an in-game injury on five different occasions. Still, that did not stop him from becoming the second most accurate passer in the country and most accurate in school history.
“The play-calling of this coaching staff is perfect for him. They was a match made in heaven,” Cunningham’s father said earlier this summer. “Malik is a very personal kid. If he knows you believe in him, he will not let you down. This coaching staff believes in my son. And he in return trusts and believes in them. Micale has been given the reigns to continue the success of the program. But, he’s no stranger to the spotlight.”
Related: Micale Cunningham and Louisville “a match made in heaven”
Cunningham will be stepping into that spotlight in 2021, and if he can stay healthy, he could very well become one of the better quarterbacks in the country.
The Louisville football quarterback has winning in his blood, and that’s why he ranks as the No. 1 most important player in 2020.
Next. The 50 greatest Louisville football players of all-time. dark