3 Louisville football players who must step up after Stanquan Clark's injury update

Louisville football improved to 2-0 last night after an underwhelming 28-14 victory over the James Madison Dukes. The Cardinals had just 98 yards in the first half and were down 7-6 heading into the second half, but the offense found a spark with their two stars, Chris Bell and Isaac Brown.

Brown and Bell each scored a touchdown in the second half that helped Louisville overcome an eight-point deficit. However, Louisville might have won the game, but they lost a crucial player during it as Stanquan Clark went down with a lower-body injury in the fourth quarter and got carted off.

Jeff Brohm provided an update after the game and informed the fans that he most likely will miss an "extensive period of time", making fans think it might be an ACL injury and that he is out for the year. If this is the case, Louisville just lost its best defensive player and a true leader for the 2025 season, and now will scramble for a replacement.

So, here are three Louisville football players who have to step up after Clark's injury update.

3 Louisville football players who must step up after Stanquan Clark's injury update

3. TJ Quinn

Entering the 2025 season, the Cardinals' linebacker position was one of Louisville's strongest one-two punches. TJ Quinn and Clark were expected to be a dominant duo for Louisville as they led the Cardinals in tackles a year ago, and Quinn has been the team's leader in tackles for two consecutive seasons.

However, now that Clark is out, Quinn must take on a bigger load and be even more dominant for the Cardinals' defense. Louisville is going to have an inexperienced linebacker replace Clark, and Quinn must help smooth that transition for the replacement.

The Cardinals' defense took a massive hit, losing Clark, but Quinn, being a fifth-year senior, must rise to the occasion and be that All-ACC linebacker that Louisville fans have hope for. Quinn had logged 173 tackles total in the past two seasons, and if Louisville wants this defense to play up to its standards, it will be Quinn who takes control and leads the way.