Louisville football’s defensive line has to improve in 2021

As part of a celebration to the upcoming start of spring football, we will be kicking off our positional preview for the 2021 Cardinals. We will go through every position group and highlight potential starters and what they may bring to the table in 2021. There are a ton of new and old faces to pay attention to across the entire Louisville football roster.

In this installment, we will focus on Louisville’s defensive line. It’s a group that was frankly underwhelming in 2020. While there are some key pieces returning, the Cardinals lose nose tackle Jared Goldwire to the NFL.

A solid mix of young and old throughout the depth chart, a slew of players will have the opportunity to expand their roles this season.

In 2020, the entire defensive line combined for just four sacks. It’s a number that won’t move the needle and needs to be improved upon entering this coming season.

Let’s preview the defensive line unit for 2021

The Starters

DE Yaya Diaby – 4th year Jr.

2020 stats: 8 GP: 18 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss

Measurables: 6’4″ 255-pounds

Diaby shows a ton of potential and looks every bit the part of what defensive coordinator Bryan Brown wants out of his defensive ends. He’s strong in the upper and lower half to two-gap against the run and he offers proper burst off the edge to provide a pass rushing threat.

He didn’t produce the sacks in 2020, but he showed the most consistently as a threat to the quarterback. These factors should allow him to hold down a starting spot once again in 2021 as he enters his second year in the program after signing to the Cardinals from Georgia Military College.

Look for Diaby to be the leader in the sack department among defensive linemen in 2021.

DE Tabarius Peterson – 6th year RS Sr.

2020 stats: 9 GP: 15 total tackles, one sack

Measurables: 6’3″ 260-pounds

After some hype carried into the 2020 season for what could be of Peterson, he largely underperformed. He was out for a portion of the season for Covid related reasons.But, when he played, he was not as effective as he had been in years past. It was a small impact made when the expectation was that he would be the leader on the defensive line.

Now in his sixth year, Peterson has some things to prove after deciding to return for 2021. There’s a chance he could have his spot overtaken. But there’s no reason for that to be the expectation at this time.

Peterson needs a bounce back year.

NT Dezmond Tell – 2nd year Fr.

2020 stats: 4 GP: 5 total tackles, one tackle for loss

Measurables: 6’1″ 266-pounds

This might be calling my shot a bit here, but it felt like Tell did more than enough to be the heir apparent to Jared Goldwire this season. He began playing during the middle of the season as the prime rotational option behind Goldwire. He was injured late in the season against Virginia and missed the team’s final three games.

Tell still needs to put on some weight in order to be consistently effective from the nose tackle spot. Listed at just 266 pounds, he still needs to put on about 20 pounds at minimum to play the position. He offers some juice and raw strength; he’s also the most talented option to replace this season. But that could change depending on the preseason that Tell has.

Depth options

NT Malik Clark – 5th year RS Jr.

2020 stats: 7 GP: 14 total tackles

Measurables: 6’2″ 290-pounds

Clark is an option as a high floor player for Louisville. He has the size to be effective at nose tackle. He didn’t make a large impact last year, but he will surely play a large amount of snaps once again in 2021.

He acts as more of a space eater than anything for this team and that’s a fine option to have. Clark should be a good rotational piece this season.

DE Dayna Kinnaird – 5th year RS Jr.

2020 stats: 4 GP: 7 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack

Measurables: 6’3″ 270-pounds

A former walk-on, Kinnaird is another high floor player that you know what you’re getting out of. He’s good for a couple of sacks a season and while he’s not an elite athlete, Kinnaird plays his role well. He’s a safety blanket option.

DE Ja’Darien Boykin – 2nd year Fr.

2020 stats: 3 GP: 4 total tackles

Measurables: 6’0″ 250-pounds

Boykin has the most athletic twitch of any of Louisville’s defensive linemen. He’s undersized but he has insane muscle mass he has surely worked on. Boykin has high upside because of his athletic ability.

He might be better served for the stand-up pass rusher role that this defense installs. But he has the bulk to fulfill some potential at defensive end. Another season in college could prove well for him as he attempts to refine his pass rushing tools.

Freshmen Standouts

DE Ashton Gillotte

Measurables: 6’2″ 212-pounds

The first thing that stands out about Gillotte is his stature. He’s massively undersized to play with his hand in the dirt with this defense. That could be an issue as a freshman, but he has certainly flashed early on.

The fact that Brown can praise Gillotte so early on is very impressive despite his lack of size. He could also be a candidate to play the stand-up pass rusher role. He is the only defensive lineman that enrolled early and has the chance to play through spring practice. He seems to be making the most of the opportunity.

Overall

The Cardinals are still searching for answers within this position group. The loss of Goldwire is a massive one, and it could prove to be very costly. At defensive end, the same cast returns with a lot to improve upon entering 2021.

This is a group that needs to show up and generate more pass rush this season. If that materializes, this defense gets boosted to the next level.