Louisville football: 3 newcomers who should see the field

Henry Bryant – Defensive lineman

At this point, Louisville’s defensive line has arguably been the least improved and most ineffective out of all other position groups. They’ve struggled about as much as one can struggle to get a consistent push, resulting in essentially zero pass rush and very few tackles for loss.

In fact through three games the defensive line has accounted for just one sack and four and a half tackles for loss, while completely being shut down in games like Georgia Tech on Friday night.

We talked all offseason about how important it was going to be for Louisville’s veteran group to begin consistently creating a push that would allow the stellar group of linebackers to make plays in opposing backfields. Players like Jared Goldwire, Tabarius Peterson, Dayna Kinniard, and others were being counted on in year two to take their level of play up with the hopes that newcomers Yaya Diaby, Ja’Darien Boykin, and others could also contribute at a high level.

We’ve seen improvement but not enough to make you think that changes aren’t needed. Against Georgia Tech, an offensive line that is undergoing a massive rebuild, the defensive line was rendered ineffective and it put even more pressure on other position groups to step up to compensate for the lack of action. We saw how that went.

Scott Satterfield and Bryan Brown have continued to hammer home how important depth is, while tap dancing around the fact that they simply just don’t have what they need yet at this point. They’ve played younger guys like Zach Edwards, Ramon Puryear, and Dez Tell in a few instances, showing that they’re at least wanting to go deeper in the trenches – but yet, nothing has really stuck.

No one player is going to be the solution to a problem that may take years to solve, but one player who I believe should see the field more, starting on Saturday against Notre Dame, is Henry Bryant.

All we heard about Bryant after his commitment to Louisville was how much he was going to aide in the pass rush for Louisville. While being considered “undersized” at 5’11, 275-pounds, Bryant has the type of athleticism, speed, and power that Mark Ivey needs to get his group going, and could a solid option in pass-rushing situations.

We continue to see players who were recruited to play on the inside having to play outside or in other spots that don’t fit their specific skill set, but rather fit what the Cards need overall. Bryant is a versatile player who has the ability to play both inside and outside, and can play in both passing and rushing situations.

Being shorter, Bryant relies on his burst and power to make plays against opposing offensive lines and in a scheme where that will be the norm moving forward for the most part, it makes sense to throw him into the fire now.

Louisville’s issue has been lack of push, it’s clear to see. So why not add someone into the rotation who has the things you’re looking for in the prototype DL in this scheme and see if he’s capable of consistently

Going up against what Brian Kelly called the “best offensive line group he’s ever coached” is going to be challenging, you don’t need me to tell you that. But in order for the game to not be over before it starts, the defensive line has to play better so that other players on the field can be put in positions to win.