Interesting Comparison on ESPN.COM

One would think that saying they had some similar numbers would be an insult and we'd be angry at ESPN, but here they do it and are speaking positively about our team. I think we were a little too harsh on Jack at times last year. He was limited, but also sometimes we do not realize that having QBs like Jeff Brohm, Chris Redman, Dave Ragone, Stefan LeFors, Brian Brohm, Teddy Bridgewater, & Lamar Jackson in a 25 period is not normal for a program that isn't a powerhouse like Ohio State and others.

Heck even at times we were harsh on Malik when in reality Malik would've carved up the CUSA, Big East, and AAC schedules we used to play.

I think Shough is going to have a big season and it seems like the national media thinks so too. Establishing the run will be key in replacing maybe our best performing RB duo ever in a season, but Shough and the new wideouts will make it work.

But I'm thinking Shough might set records.

Comparing to some other Louisville QBs and Brohm guys.

1998 Redman was 4000+ yards on 473 attempts. 29-15 TD-INT
2007 Brohm was 4000 yards on 473 attempts. 30-12 TD-INT
2013 Teddy was 4000 yards on 427 attempts. 31-4 TD INT
2021 Aidan OConnell had 3700 yards on 439 attempts. 28-11 TD-INT
2023 Plummer had 3200 yards on 395 attempts. 21-12 TD-INT

I could see Shough having closer to 450 attempts. 4000 yards. 32-15 TD-INT. I'd also point on that list that the last 2 were really the only ones playing a power conference schedule. We're going to pass more this year and have better options at wideout, much deeper. We won't be running as much either. And we won't want to keep the ball out of our QBs hands like last year either.

What you need to know:

• A comparison:
  QB A: 62.0 Total QBR, 64.3% completions, 7.93 yards-per-pass, 21 total TD, 14 turnovers
  QB B: 68.4 Total QBR, 63.8% completions, 7.97 yards-per-pass, 26 total TD, 12 turnovers
  QB A is Jack Plummer's 13 starts vs. FBS competition last season at Louisville. QB B is Shough in his 13 career starts, which span four previous seasons.
• Louisville went 3-1 vs. top-40 defenses last season despite Plummer posting a woeful 39.6 Total QBR with just 2 TDs, 3 picks and averaging 5.9 yards per attempt in those games. If Shough can improve on those numbers in 2024, the Cardinals could be awfully dangerous.

Click to expand...

Former U of L assistant Luke Murray may be getting a promotion soon.

Dan Hurley is apparently at the top of the list for the LA Lakers.

Wowza.


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That being said, Bart Torvik is not high on the Cardinals heading into year one of the Kelsey era, ranking Louisville as the No. 89 team in college basketball. They are the fourth-lowest ranked team in the now 18-member ACC, ahead of only Virginia Tech at 96th, Stanford at 98th, Florida State at 121st and Boston College at 147th.

Louisville sports an adjusted offensive efficiency of 109.1, which comes in as the 92nd-best mark in Division I, whereas their adjusted defensive efficiency of 98.8 sits at 88th. Despite bringing in a highly-ranked transfer class, Torvik tabs UofL as the 131st-most talented team in D1 with projected effective talent rating of 21.7.

Put it all together, and Torvik projects Louisville to go 16-15 over the course of the regular season, and 8-12 in conference play.

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Excellent article breaking down potential issues.

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Right here:

Folks around the program know just how vital this MBB season is to the success of the overall athletic department.

One source told me this season is the most important of any in recent memory. The mentality is invest and win big in 2024-2025 and use it as a spring board for fans to be back in the YUM, and in turn get the revenue back to where it should be.

There is no holding back on improving the roster for year one. Up until the ball is tipped, Louisville is going to be aggressive.

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It’s Friday Eve

It’s hump day.

Delete

Prepare accordingly!

Heird tries to answer some difficult questions regarding the new direction in college atheltics ... Link above ... here's a bit of the article to get started ...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Here, in brief, is the challenge facing University of Louisville (and every other Power 5) athletic department starting in the 2025-26 season: Find $22 million with which to pay players, the details and guidelines of which will be added in the coming months.

This is the House v. NCAA settlement in a nutshell. The NCAA is tired of losing in court. It is afraid of losing a major class-action case in court. And it is seeking a framework that will allow itself to stabilize as it converts fully to the new reality of athletes not only being able to make their own money off their Names, Images and Likenesses, but of being due a share of actual media rights revenues earned by their schools and conferences.

Add in an additional $2.5 billion or so in damages – essentially back payments -- to athletes who were denied a right to earn in the past, and you have a picture of the liability the NCAA and its schools are facing over the next 10 years (the length of the deal).

The timing of the settlement could be better for U of L. Record-low basketball attendance has presented a revenue challenge for the school, though improving football fortunes and a hoped-for basketball revival could help turn the picture around fairly quickly. (Having only six home football games next season, though, won’t help.)

Regardless, the money has to come from somewhere. Athletic director Josh Heird acknowledged in a recent interview, “We don’t have $20 million sitting around, I can promise you that.”

So, Louisville, like everyone else, will have to find the money, whether it’s in new revenue, reduced spending, cuts or reallocations. It’s the new normal – for now. Somewhere, schools will have to find a way to carve out a $20-$22 million piece of the pie for their athletes.

How? Nobody is quite sure.

“I don't think there's a better example of building an airplane while you're flying it than what we're going through right now,” Heird said.

For schools in the SEC or Big Ten, that may be less of a burden. The SEC is set to begin its first season of a 10-year, $3 billion rights deal with ESPN. The Big Ten announced a seven-year, $8 billion deal with NBC, CBS and FOX last year. Those leagues are sending major cash infusions to their members to help offset costs. But even for schools at the top end of the revenue spectrum, adding a $20 million line item is no small thing.

The ACC distributed an average of $44.8 million to its football playing members in 2024, but that number won’t grow significantly, while the Big Ten and SEC widen the revenue gap.

All of which creates a challenging landscape for Louisville, which has begun to prepare a strategy for meeting the new revenue-sharing challenge without really yet having a playbook.

Recently, Heird spent some time with WDRB to talk about the school’s approach. The following Q&A with WDRB’s Eric Crawford tackles some of the basic questions, knowing that answers sometimes are simply not available without more specifics of the rules that the settlement lays out, such as whether the payments are subject to Title IX law.

The following are some edited excerpts from that conversation.

CRAWFORD: The House settlement is being talked about everywhere. What are your initial thoughts and some of the challenges as Louisville starts to put together an approach to this?

.....

The vibe today in the gym was great, bouncy, positive. Players are telling Siva and Luke "we're getting us back"

The coaches love the city, love being here.

He only saw a workout with 5 players, but talked to PK and Siva a lot

Noah was shooting deep and looks great, making shots and is long, totally impressed Luke with his movement and release

As well as he shot it, not as good as Reyne- "unbelievable shooter" I think were his words

Reyne made 81 of 87 threes in a drill. Ultimate green light.

The player that has surprised Siva the most-James Scott-has been here several days longer than anyone else. Plays with an edge, bouncy tall and long, violently throws the ball through the rim. Still aspects of being "raw" but potential through the roof

Asked if he was going to keep C of C system, yes, recruited players to fit the system.


Coaches LOVE this group of players.

The players were well-coached where they were, and won

PK-loves Siva-Peyton is just a guy that makes situations he's around better

These next few weeks will make or break the class. I for one have been incredibly critical of the HS recruiting but there will be some big fish on campus for OVs, we just need to land some.

May 31st big names
CJ May
Ben Hanks
Floyd Boucard
Cameron Gorin
Cortez Thomas.. i think.

June 7th
Kalen Edwards!! 6’4 315 DT. Top schools are Auburn, Georgia, and Us. Those are the waters I want to be swimming in.
Ezekiel Marcelin
Tyrone Burrus
Montavin Quisenberry

More guys obviously in the coming weeks after these.

UofL at 12%

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It’s Taco Tuesday

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Not sure how many. Can’t wait to hear news from workouts

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Defensive tackle Randy Adirika hasn’t tipped his hand much but Penn State is in good position heading into official visits. Louisville and Miami are right near the top of his list as well.