Louisville football is back on the rise. With Jeff Brohm returning to his alma mater, the Cardinals have won 19 games in two seasons, and Louisville is back to winning ways. This spring will be important not only for the coaches but also for the players. This will be the most pressure some of these players will have faced in their collegiate careers.
The Cardinals annual Spring Game is set to kickoff Friday, April 11 from L&N Stadium at 7:00 p.m. Brohm and his Cardinals will look to showoff this explosive offense for the first time to the fans. The defense however will have a lot to prove, and their are some positions that could see some new faces.
Louisville football will look to take their recent success one step further next season, and that is reaching the ACC Championship game. Players claim they want to play for a competitive program, but can they handle the pressure? Here are three upperclassmen who could see a decreased role in the upcoming 2025 season.
3 Louisville football upperclassmen who can lose their starting jobs this spring
Jabari Mack - CB
The Cornerback position had a complete retool in the Louisville locker room over the off-season. The Cardinals lost their top five corners due to the draft or graduation. These departures include standouts, Quincy Riley and Corey Thornton. As a result, Louisville brought in three new transfers and retained two freshmen from last season. Moral of the story is that the DB room at Louisville has a lot of question marks.
The secondary has been a weakness for Louisville football dating back to last season. In 2024, the Cardinals' secondary allowed 236.2 yards per game through the air, which placed No. 12 in the ACC and No. 100 in the nation.
One of the three transfers is Jabari Mack. He spent the last three years at Jacksonville State. The 6-foot-1 corner played in all 13 games last season, recording 20 solo tackles, 11 pass breakups, and two interceptions. With this being said, Mack can still be a contributor for the Cardinals next season but could be in more of a background dancer role. The biggest question mark he has, is can he do it at the next level? The other two transfers, Justin Agu and Rodney Johnson Jr. will be breathing down Mack's neck.
Justin Agu is a senior transfer from Louisiana. He has taken a huge leap from his first two seasons. Agu went from not seeing the field his first two years to starting in 10 games for the Ragin' Cajuns. He has mentioned how much he has improved and worked on his game. He is proud of how much he has gotten better in the past few years. It is noted that Agu has looked very fluid in spring practice so far.
Rodney Johnson Jr. is also a senior transfer from Southern University. He started in all 12 games last season, recording 21 tackles, 5 pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one interception last season. Johnson is a 6-foot-2 lengthy and speedy corner. He also runs track and field, due to this he has been talked about as the fastest corner in spring practice.
Jabari Mack will have some competition in the locker room, with not only the transfers but from the freshman corner Rae'mon Mosby, who looked solid in the Cardinals bowl game last season. Mack may have a tough time adjusting from Conference-USA to ACC play. He will need to put together a strong spring showing if he wants to retain his role from his previous team. Mack is already behind the 8-ball as Agu and Johnson Jr. have been making noise in spring practices.
Related: 3 Cardinals with the most to prove in spring for Louisville football