Louisville Football: Breaking down Cardinals’ 2019 QB battle

Jawon Pass

Going into 2018, Jawon Pass was actually getting a lot of hype as there were some college football talking heads that thought he could help improve Louisville’s passing game, even though they were losing Lamar Jackson.

That, of course, did not come true.

Pass ended up throwing for 1,960 yards with eight touchdowns,12 interceptions and a completion rate of 54 percent. He also added two scores on the ground.

It was tough to pinpoint how much of the blame should fall on Pass and how much should fall on the coaching staff not putting him in the best situations to succeed. Regardless whose fault 2018’s struggle was, Pass still showed glimpses of the potential he has.

Pass is a big quarterback with a strong arm. His ability to make any throw on the field helps open up an offense and gives the play caller freedom to call what he wants when he wants. However, just because a quarterback has a strong arm and has the ability to make the throw — key word being ‘ability’ — doesn’t mean the quarterback will actually make the throw when it matters. Taking what the defense gives you and being accurate with his short to mid-range throws will go a long way in the improvement of Pass as a quarterback.

Pass has the talent to become a successful quarterback and has the right head coach in Scott Satterfield to help him utilize the talent. Regardless if Pass wins the starting job or not, the chance of him playing significant snaps at some point this season is high and I expect to see an improved quarterback when he gets that chance.

Below is a clip of Pass demonstrating that strong arm of his and his ability to push the ball downfield.

Can he finally live up to his potential in 2019?