Louisville football's defense is the Cardinals' glaring question entering the 2025 season, and losing significant pieces on the defensive front and in the defensive back does not help the fans have much confidence entering the season. While the offense is loaded, the defense is filled with questions, except for one position.
The Cardinals will have some key players returning in TJ Quinn and Stanquan Clark, as they both led Louisville in total tackles last season. Louisville brought in some depth for the defensive backs and saw some progress throughout the spring as they picked off Miller Moss once and showed they can compete and cover.
However, once the season starts, it will be crucial for this defense to step up and make stops, and Jeff Brohm is aware of that. He pointed out that Clark and Quinn have been his best two players throughout the team so far, and the mix of vets and newcomers is bringing a dawg fight to practice.
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Jeff Brohm wastes no time naming Louisville's fall camp standouts
Brohm was asked back on July 30 about his defense and his confidence in it, and he made sure to let everyone know that this defense is on pace to be much better than many media outlets think.
"I feel confident that we will play well, and I want all of our segments to expect to play well every week," Brohm stated.
He dove deep into the players returning and the newcomers and stated that the mix of the two has made the defense hungry and brought the best out of everyone. Brohm referred to Quinn and Clark early on and didn't state they have been the best defenders so far, but said best players, implying they are impressing everyone the most.
"I think the few starters we have back on defense, I expect them to play very well, and they have been our best players to date, "Brohm stated on his defense. "I think it is a good nucleus of hungry new pieces who want to come in and compete that are challenging our guys, and then some veterans that have been here and know this is how it's done."
Brohm continued to state that the experience is showing up for the veteran, and that is why he is so confident in his defense. The Cardinals' defense did not live up to the program's standard last season, as they gave up 24 points per game throughout the season, and even worse, 27 points per game in ACC play.
If Louisville wants to make it back to Charlotte, it is clear that the Cardinals must rely on their two stars, Clark and Quinn, to carry this defensive group. The Cardinals' linebacker core is going to be their strength, and Brohm reporting that they have been the two best players so far is a massive fall camp update.
Louisville now must hope the defensive backs continue to improve from the Spring Game, and the defensive ends can do their best to fill in the massive holes from last season. Clark and Quinn totaled 158 tackles last season, and the year prior, Quinn led the team again in tackles with 91.
These two veterans are going to be the glue for Louisville's defense next year, and if they want a shot at the ACC Title, Quinn and Clark must take another big step from 2024 and become one of the best duos in the ACC on the defensive side.
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