The pain of ending the season with three straight losses has not gone away from Louisville football.
The Cardinals' successful first year with Jeff Brohm as head coach ended on a bitter note, with losses in the Governor's Cup, ACC Championship Game, and Holiday Bowl. However, the team is using the loss as fuel for 2024.
“We made a lot of mistakes (in the bowl game) and we have to get better as coaches, but I think we already recognize that,” Brohm said in February. “We have to plan better and give our players a better chance to succeed. But in doing so, yes, we have to use that as fuel. “It wasn't the way we wanted it to end.” “That's football (in a season). We definitely have to work harder and we have to plan better.”
The Cardinals are scheduled to begin spring practice on March 19 and conclude with spring football games a month later. Despite losing some key players, the Cardinals have key players back. Positions in need of starters and depth were helped by the transfer portal and the 2024 recruiting class.
Between returners and newcomers, here are five players to keep an eye on during spring practice.
Ashton Gillott, DL
Ashton Gillott was given the opportunity to begin his professional career, but chose to return to Louisville to increase his NFL draft stock. He was one of the architects of the defense's dominance last fall. Gillott led the team in sacks (11) and tackles for loss (14 1/2). He played multiple positions on the defensive line, reacquainting himself with the position he played in high school. Gillott can use that spring to continue that process and provide veteran leadership to a deep defensive line group as a senior.
TJ Quinn, LB
TJ Quinn quickly dispelled any uncertainty regarding Louisville's linebacker group heading into the 2023 season. He earned a starting spot and became one of the team's best defensive players. TJ, who is often compared to his father Terry, a former Cardinal and Bromes teammate, had the eighth-best defensive rating (66.6 points) among returning players and finished the season as the team's leading tackler (92 points). . He will likely make an even bigger impact in 2024, using spring practice as a springboard into his redshirt junior season.
Chris Bell, WR
At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Chris Bell was one of the Cardinals' most physical receivers last season. He finished his sophomore season as the top returning receiver with 29 catches for 407 total yards and two touchdowns. Bell should see more targets as one of the most experienced pass catchers, as Louisville lost Jamari Thrush to the NFL Draft and Kevin Coleman and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce to the portal.
Penny Boone, RB
Running backs coach Chris Barkley once compared Isaac Gerendo to a semitrailer. Louisville will be home to “Baby Bus,” which is Penny Boone's nickname on social media. The 6-1, 235-pound Toledo transfer was successful at the mid-major level. Boone was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year and ranked eighth nationally in rushing yards (1,400). Boone is a leading candidate to be the starting running back after Jawar Jordan left for the NFL Draft.
Tyler Shaw, QB
Brohm said Texas Tech transfer Tyler Schauf is not yet 100% healthy and will likely have limited playing time this spring. As the successor to the starting quarterback, Shaw can use every playing moment to develop chemistry with the Cardinals' pass catchers and begin learning the offense. If Schau is healthy, his deep ball and six years of college experience should bode well for U of L in the fall.
Contact Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her at @Alexis_Cubit on X.
