Louisville Football: 3 things UofL is getting in Guerendo

On December 6, 2022, one day after the transfer portal opened, Wisconsin running back Isaac Guerendo decided to enter his name into the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining. 

A native of Avon, Indiana, Isaac Guerendo attended Avon High School where he played wide receiver for the Orioles. After a four year career in central Indiana, he decided to take his talents to Madison, Wisconsin to join the Wisconsin Badgers as a three-star recruit.

Guerendo chose the Badgers over teams like Army, Air Force, Ball State, and Eastern Michigan. Once he arrived on campus in Wisconsin, he was converted from wide receiver to the running back position in Paul Chryst’s offense.

In his career as a Badger, he recorded 99 rushing attempts, 582 rushing yards, six receiving touchdowns, 20 receptions, 124 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, 20 kickoff returns, and 503 return yards.

After an impressive career in the Big Ten, Isaac Guerendo decided to spend his final collegiate year with the Louisville Cardinals in the ACC. The latest addition to Jeff Brohm’s offense adds depth at the running back position and fills a big hole. He joins scholarship backs Jawhar Jordan and Maurice Turner and preferred walk-ons Grant Goodman and Logan Frazier in the backfield.

Every new addition to the offense brings about their own set of strengths, so what exactly does Isaac Guerendo bring to the Cardinals?

1) Versatility

Guerendo has made a career playing all over the field. Coming into Madison as a wide receiver, he already was known for his soft hands and ability to catch the ball off the line of scrimmage. But, heading into the Big Ten, he switched to lining up behind or beside the quarterback.

His ability to play at multiple positions will be a huge advantage for Louisville this coming season and could be a Swiss army knife for Jeff Brohm to use in unique situations.

2) Dealing With Adversity, Rather Than Running From It

In his freshman season, he was in the backfield with one of the best running backs currently in the NFL, Jonathan Taylor. Sharing touches with him could not have been easy, especially with the way the transfer portal is impacting college football. But, rather than seeking another opportunity in the portal, he stayed in Madison to remain a Badger.

Not only did his paths cross with an elite NFL running back, but injuries have plagued his collegiate career. After a redshirt season in his true freshman campaign, Guerendo suffered a hamstring injury the following season that prevented him from taking the field for more than two games.

Another hamstring injury in the 2020 season opener ended his season and in the following 2021 season, he suffered a foot injury after a mere four games. But, in 2022, he remained fully healthy and recorded five of his six career rushing touchdowns.

His ability to fight through all of the pain and rehab to continue his dream of playing football is encouraging for Louisville fans to hear.

3) Explosive Speed 

In an article published by Sports illustrated’s All Badgers, author Matt Belz notes that Guerendo was argubaly the fastest player on the Wisconsin Badgers team last season. The Indiana native reportedly topped out at a little over 22 miles per hour!

Opponents do not want to let him get loose in the open field because he has the potential to break open any play with that kind of speed.