Louisville football: 3 things we learned from week one of camp
By Jacob Lane
A few new names emerging on defense – but one stands out
There aren’t many programs around the country that are actively participating in a fall camp, but thankfully for us and for our readers, Louisville is one of the schools that has hit the field and given us some actual football to talk about.
One of, if not the biggest storylines has been the defense and how much improvement there will be compared to what we saw last season in Bryan Brown’s first season as defensive coordinator. As we’ve highlighted, there was tons of improvement and a lot of good things that happened throughout the year but depth, injuries, and players learning their fourth system in four years led to growing pains.
With all the hype surrounding Louisville mostly focused on the offense and the dynamic weapons available to Scott Satterfield, any talk about the defense has squarely targeted their struggles last season including typically questioning whether they’ll be good enough to make the Cards a serious factor. That has given Brown, his staff, and the players more motivation than they needed and it seems that it’s leading to some serious play on the field.
Throughout the week we heard from players and coaches about the work being put in on the field, and when it was the coaches from the defensive side of the ball’s turn to talk we got some positive updates about the progress of a few standout players.
Defensive line coach Mark Ivey talked about his group, which will be one of the most important parts of the 2020 season, and chose to focus on player in particular. Ivey told the media:
“When he (Ja’Darien Boykin) is shining, it is bright…That guy has some explosion that is going to be hard for anybody to game plan against.”
Defensive tackle Jared Goldwire shared the same sentiment, saying ““That boy’s get-off on pass rush is something ridiculous…He is going to be a problem.”
Another newcomer who was pointed out by name by DC Bryan Brown was recent arrival Kei’Trel Clark, who transferred to Louisville last month following one season at Liberty. A lot of fans and people who cover the program were a little surprised by the pick up of Clark, but as we heard from Brown, Clark could be one of the biggest bright spots of the year.
“The bright spot out of that group right now is Kei’Trel Clark…He’s had a couple of interceptions and he’s a quick corner that loves to compete, as well as the rest of those guys.”
Satterfield and company are going through the formal process of applying for a waiver from the NCAA to allow for immediate eligibility. Based on what’s been granted in the past, it seems likely that Clark would have his waiver approved following some disturbing racial incidents at Liberty during his freshman season.
Clark was an immediate impact player for Liberty last season finishing the year with 40 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and five pass breakups and attracted attention from multiple power five and SEC programs before ending up at Louisville. The Cards need more help at corner, and adding a player like Clark to a core that includes Chandler Jones, Marlon Character, and Anthony Johnson would be a huge addition to the long-term potential.
It’s going to take time for the defense to get where we think they can go, but it is great to hear from coaches and players that the newcomers are providing the immediate impact many thought they could.