The Athletic continues to churn out great content. If you haven't subscribed, you should. This is an excellent look at what is happening with and under the new staff. I'm confident that renewed success on the field will come sooner rather than later. Go Cards!
State of the Program: Louisville looks forward and looks forward to each other, too
Part one
It was just after noon on a sunny Thursday afternoon in April, and the hallways in the Louisville football complex were buzzing. There were a few players milling around, but it was the coaching staff causing the ruckus.
They were standing in doorways, poking fun at each other and laughing, getting ready for a meeting. Their pickup basketball game the day before was still fresh on everyone’s minds. They play at the on-campus basketball facility, though they’ve also trekked down to the KFC Yum! Center for a game or two, and the post-game banter can flow for days. The scouting report on Louisville’s new head coach, Scott Satterfield, is that he possesses a smooth-looking jump shot, while co-defensive coordinator Bryan Brown is considered the best all-around player.
It’s this competitive, jovial and upbeat group, a collection of 17 coaches and eight support staffers, that is tasked with re-energizing Louisville’s program. A 2018 freefall of a season stunned Louisville, cost Bobby Petrino his job and landed the Cardinals in the basement of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division. All of this came two years after it had a Heisman Trophy winner in Lamar Jackson, won nine games and pursued a College Football Playoff berth until mid-November.
Satterfield was hired to put it all back together, to inject confidence into a deflated program. The first step was implementing a new culture, the kind that welcomes hallway banter and regular, playful competition with a little edge to it. The difference is already palpable to the players — senior defensive end Amonte Caban recently told The Athletic that “everything is different” with the new staff and that it’s “a whole new start” for the team.
“A lot of positive has happened since we’ve been here,” Satterfield said. “The thing that we wanted to do was hold everybody accountable and have them hold themselves accountable. Guys are really cognizant about what they’re doing now. The guys have really bought into that. We wanted to build trust between our staff and our players. The attitudes have changed. They’re wanting to come to the building now.”
Rebuilding a culture at Louisville won’t happen overnight. It’s actually going to take time and a few real-life experiences to test and reaffirm the newly forming bonds. But those first steps are important, and Louisville can’t get to the success that it wants on the field without building a reinforced foundation off it.
“We try not to talk about the past at all,” offensive coordinator Dwayne Ledford said. “It’s just that day, that moment, the things we can control. It’s being in the moment of the process, the process of becoming the team that we envision ourselves being.”
Biggest on-field question
With a program undergoing so many changes after Satterfield’s hire, the simplest on-field question is this: How do they look? The anger and frustration Louisville administrators and fans felt about last season’s team wasn’t solely because of the 2-10 record — it was how the Cardinals looked as they plummeted. They seemed demoralized and lost, unsure of where they could turn.
The mistakes piled up, including 25 turnovers and 101 penalties that cost the Cardinals 71.8 yards per game. The Cardinals were pushed around in the trenches, giving up a stunning 43 sacks and 93 tackles for loss on offense while getting a meager 11 and 46, respectively, on defense.
The makeover of the Louisville football program is underway, one practice session and meeting at a time. (Louisville Athletics)
The initial goal for Satterfield, then, is building a foundation for what he wants Louisville to look like. He wants the Cardinals to play with confidence, speed and toughness. He wants them playing smart football, eliminating miscues in situations they can control. The best place to look for progress this coming season will be on the offensive and defensive lines.
“There are three things I always talk to those guys about: Speed off the ball, toughness and finish,” said Ledford, who also coaches the offensive line. “All the technique and all that, we’ll get that. But play fast, be tough. When you first come out to practice, in that beginning, make sure that’s how you’re practicing at the end of it. Finish blocks, get downfield, give that extra effort. To me, that’s the O-line demeanor I’m trying to get in that room. Get that right, and I think we can be OK there.”
Another on-field question — and there are a lot of them — is how fast Louisville plays as it learns Satterfield’s system. His teams at Appalachian State weren’t always going to be the biggest or strongest teams on the field, but they played with a fast pace. Satterfield said the key to coaching and developing speed is simplifying assignments and freeing up players to make quick, informed decisions, which allows their athletic abilities to kick in.
“It was in the early 2000s when we started recognizing that, when we were in the playoffs, we were getting beaten because teams were faster than we were,” said Satterfield, who started working as an offensive assistant coach at Appalachian State in 1998, when it was an FCS program. “We just made an effort to recruit speed at every position — not just your skill guys, but at every position. Have guys who can run. Speed is the neutralizer. You’ve got to be able to run in this sport. We’ve got the ‘keep it simple, stupid’ mentality, so the kids can play fast. If you’re having to think, you’re minimizing your talent.”
Depth chart analysis
Quarterbacks: Everything you need to know about last season and the way Petrino’s tenure ended can be summed up in one Satterfield quote about redshirt junior quarterback Jawon Pass: “His confidence was as low as maybe anything I’ve seen” when Satterfield arrived. Once a U.S. Army All-American who picked Louisville over Alabama, Pass labored through his first season out of Jackson’s shadow. He started nine times, including the opener against Alabama, but bounced in and out of the lineup through the course of each game. Pass’s numbers reflected Louisville’s offensive woes: 54 percent completion rate, eight touchdowns, 12 interceptions.
The progress Pass has made since then as a leader and as a decision-maker puts him in good position in the race to start under center for Satterfield’s first team. Ledford said Pass “came out of his shell” in the staff’s first few months on campus, playing and carrying himself “like a completely different guy.” Redshirt sophomore Malik Cunningham, who started three games last season and appeared in seven others, is Pass’s main challenger for QB1. Cunningham ran for 497 yards and five touchdowns, and his running ability makes him a nice fit for Satterfield’s offensive system. Ledford called him “electric — a special, special player” who is versatile.
Freshman Evan Conley originally committed to Satterfield and Appalachian State but followed the coach to Louisville. The Georgia native enrolled early, which allowed him to work through spring practice, and he’ll push Cunningham and Pass.
Running backs: A quarterback has led the team in rushing in each of the past four years. The program hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Bilal Powell in 2010. But it’s hard to see that trend continuing much longer with Satterfield in charge. Appalachian State ran the ball on 62.9 percent of its offensive snaps over the past five years and produced at least one 1,000-yard rusher in each of those seasons.
That should be good news for redshirt freshman Javian Hawkins and sophomore Hassan Hall, who led all running backs last season with 303 yards and four touchdowns. The coaching staff especially likes Hall’s size (6-0, 186 pounds), speed and vision. Hawkins is on the smaller side at 5-9, 179, but he “plays big-boy football,” Ledford said, and should see the ball a good amount. Redshirt junior Dae Williams was healthy in time for spring practice after missing the final eight games of last season with a wrist injury. The Oklahoman has run 60 times for 306 yards and five touchdowns in two injury-laden campaigns, and he stands as Louisville’s most experienced back.
Louisville also signed two bigger running backs in freshmen Aidan Robbins and Jalen Mitchell.
The Cardinals’ new coaching staff has liked what it’s seen from Hassan Hall. (Jamie Rhodes / USA TODAY Sports)
Wide receivers/tight ends: Receiver is still Louisville’s strongest group. The Cardinals return four of their top five pass catchers from last season, including junior Dez Fitzpatrick, who has 76 catches, 1,121 yards and 12 touchdowns in two years. He’s joined by Seth Dawkins, Tutu Atwell and Devante Peete, who combined for 70 receptions and 985 yards last fall. Justin Marshall, a 6-3, 204-pound redshirt sophomore, impressed coaches this spring as a big outside target, and local product Keion Wakefield is a candidate for reps in the slot behind Atwell.
State of the Program: Louisville looks forward and looks forward to each other, too
Part one
It was just after noon on a sunny Thursday afternoon in April, and the hallways in the Louisville football complex were buzzing. There were a few players milling around, but it was the coaching staff causing the ruckus.
They were standing in doorways, poking fun at each other and laughing, getting ready for a meeting. Their pickup basketball game the day before was still fresh on everyone’s minds. They play at the on-campus basketball facility, though they’ve also trekked down to the KFC Yum! Center for a game or two, and the post-game banter can flow for days. The scouting report on Louisville’s new head coach, Scott Satterfield, is that he possesses a smooth-looking jump shot, while co-defensive coordinator Bryan Brown is considered the best all-around player.
It’s this competitive, jovial and upbeat group, a collection of 17 coaches and eight support staffers, that is tasked with re-energizing Louisville’s program. A 2018 freefall of a season stunned Louisville, cost Bobby Petrino his job and landed the Cardinals in the basement of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division. All of this came two years after it had a Heisman Trophy winner in Lamar Jackson, won nine games and pursued a College Football Playoff berth until mid-November.
Satterfield was hired to put it all back together, to inject confidence into a deflated program. The first step was implementing a new culture, the kind that welcomes hallway banter and regular, playful competition with a little edge to it. The difference is already palpable to the players — senior defensive end Amonte Caban recently told The Athletic that “everything is different” with the new staff and that it’s “a whole new start” for the team.
“A lot of positive has happened since we’ve been here,” Satterfield said. “The thing that we wanted to do was hold everybody accountable and have them hold themselves accountable. Guys are really cognizant about what they’re doing now. The guys have really bought into that. We wanted to build trust between our staff and our players. The attitudes have changed. They’re wanting to come to the building now.”
Rebuilding a culture at Louisville won’t happen overnight. It’s actually going to take time and a few real-life experiences to test and reaffirm the newly forming bonds. But those first steps are important, and Louisville can’t get to the success that it wants on the field without building a reinforced foundation off it.
“We try not to talk about the past at all,” offensive coordinator Dwayne Ledford said. “It’s just that day, that moment, the things we can control. It’s being in the moment of the process, the process of becoming the team that we envision ourselves being.”
Biggest on-field question
With a program undergoing so many changes after Satterfield’s hire, the simplest on-field question is this: How do they look? The anger and frustration Louisville administrators and fans felt about last season’s team wasn’t solely because of the 2-10 record — it was how the Cardinals looked as they plummeted. They seemed demoralized and lost, unsure of where they could turn.
The mistakes piled up, including 25 turnovers and 101 penalties that cost the Cardinals 71.8 yards per game. The Cardinals were pushed around in the trenches, giving up a stunning 43 sacks and 93 tackles for loss on offense while getting a meager 11 and 46, respectively, on defense.
The makeover of the Louisville football program is underway, one practice session and meeting at a time. (Louisville Athletics)
The initial goal for Satterfield, then, is building a foundation for what he wants Louisville to look like. He wants the Cardinals to play with confidence, speed and toughness. He wants them playing smart football, eliminating miscues in situations they can control. The best place to look for progress this coming season will be on the offensive and defensive lines.
“There are three things I always talk to those guys about: Speed off the ball, toughness and finish,” said Ledford, who also coaches the offensive line. “All the technique and all that, we’ll get that. But play fast, be tough. When you first come out to practice, in that beginning, make sure that’s how you’re practicing at the end of it. Finish blocks, get downfield, give that extra effort. To me, that’s the O-line demeanor I’m trying to get in that room. Get that right, and I think we can be OK there.”
Another on-field question — and there are a lot of them — is how fast Louisville plays as it learns Satterfield’s system. His teams at Appalachian State weren’t always going to be the biggest or strongest teams on the field, but they played with a fast pace. Satterfield said the key to coaching and developing speed is simplifying assignments and freeing up players to make quick, informed decisions, which allows their athletic abilities to kick in.
“It was in the early 2000s when we started recognizing that, when we were in the playoffs, we were getting beaten because teams were faster than we were,” said Satterfield, who started working as an offensive assistant coach at Appalachian State in 1998, when it was an FCS program. “We just made an effort to recruit speed at every position — not just your skill guys, but at every position. Have guys who can run. Speed is the neutralizer. You’ve got to be able to run in this sport. We’ve got the ‘keep it simple, stupid’ mentality, so the kids can play fast. If you’re having to think, you’re minimizing your talent.”
Depth chart analysis
Quarterbacks: Everything you need to know about last season and the way Petrino’s tenure ended can be summed up in one Satterfield quote about redshirt junior quarterback Jawon Pass: “His confidence was as low as maybe anything I’ve seen” when Satterfield arrived. Once a U.S. Army All-American who picked Louisville over Alabama, Pass labored through his first season out of Jackson’s shadow. He started nine times, including the opener against Alabama, but bounced in and out of the lineup through the course of each game. Pass’s numbers reflected Louisville’s offensive woes: 54 percent completion rate, eight touchdowns, 12 interceptions.
The progress Pass has made since then as a leader and as a decision-maker puts him in good position in the race to start under center for Satterfield’s first team. Ledford said Pass “came out of his shell” in the staff’s first few months on campus, playing and carrying himself “like a completely different guy.” Redshirt sophomore Malik Cunningham, who started three games last season and appeared in seven others, is Pass’s main challenger for QB1. Cunningham ran for 497 yards and five touchdowns, and his running ability makes him a nice fit for Satterfield’s offensive system. Ledford called him “electric — a special, special player” who is versatile.
Freshman Evan Conley originally committed to Satterfield and Appalachian State but followed the coach to Louisville. The Georgia native enrolled early, which allowed him to work through spring practice, and he’ll push Cunningham and Pass.
Running backs: A quarterback has led the team in rushing in each of the past four years. The program hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Bilal Powell in 2010. But it’s hard to see that trend continuing much longer with Satterfield in charge. Appalachian State ran the ball on 62.9 percent of its offensive snaps over the past five years and produced at least one 1,000-yard rusher in each of those seasons.
That should be good news for redshirt freshman Javian Hawkins and sophomore Hassan Hall, who led all running backs last season with 303 yards and four touchdowns. The coaching staff especially likes Hall’s size (6-0, 186 pounds), speed and vision. Hawkins is on the smaller side at 5-9, 179, but he “plays big-boy football,” Ledford said, and should see the ball a good amount. Redshirt junior Dae Williams was healthy in time for spring practice after missing the final eight games of last season with a wrist injury. The Oklahoman has run 60 times for 306 yards and five touchdowns in two injury-laden campaigns, and he stands as Louisville’s most experienced back.
Louisville also signed two bigger running backs in freshmen Aidan Robbins and Jalen Mitchell.
The Cardinals’ new coaching staff has liked what it’s seen from Hassan Hall. (Jamie Rhodes / USA TODAY Sports)
Wide receivers/tight ends: Receiver is still Louisville’s strongest group. The Cardinals return four of their top five pass catchers from last season, including junior Dez Fitzpatrick, who has 76 catches, 1,121 yards and 12 touchdowns in two years. He’s joined by Seth Dawkins, Tutu Atwell and Devante Peete, who combined for 70 receptions and 985 yards last fall. Justin Marshall, a 6-3, 204-pound redshirt sophomore, impressed coaches this spring as a big outside target, and local product Keion Wakefield is a candidate for reps in the slot behind Atwell.
