Louisville football fans learned yesterday that the Cardinals are most likely going to the rest of their season without their top linebacker, Stanquan Clark. The Cardinals' crushing injury blow is a massive loss on the defensive side of the ball, as Clark is coming off a dominant season from 2024 and was expected to have an All-ACC year.
Louisville now must quickly turn the page and try to find a replacement for Clark, and give reps to some under-the-radar players who some fans might not know about. Clark is going to be hard to replace and will be a massive loss to Brohm's defense, but here are three players who will earn more reps after Clark's season-ending injury.
Related: Louisville football gets crushing injury update on star LB Stanquan Clark
3 Louisville football Players who will see more snaps after Stanquan Clark's injury update
TJ Quinn
TJ Quinn is not an under-the-radar name by any means, but with his partner sidelined for the remainder of the season, Quinn is going to be expected to step up even more and take control of this defense. Entering the 2025 season, Clark and Quinn were the two stars for Louisville's defense, and now, with Clark out for the year, the fifth-year senior must continue to dominate.
Quinn has led Louisville in tackles for the last two seasons, and he now has a high chance of having his third consecutive season if he stays healthy. The Cardinals' defense has blown all expectations out of the water through two games, and Quinn has been one of the glaring reasons why.
The star linebacker has 14 total tackles and nine solo tackles, leading Louisville's defense through two weeks. He also earned a sack against James Madison. Clark's injury puts more pressure on Quinn to step up and to be that dominant linebacker and to be the leader with this more inexperienced team.
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