Three ACC teams to not sleep on in 2024
By Justin Perez
Louisville Cardinals
Last season, under Jeff Brohm, Louisville had a very successful season. In Brohm's first year, the Cardinals went 10-4 and played in the ACC Championship Game against Florida State. The Cardinals lost 16-6 and then would lose the Holiday Bowl to USC.
However, don't let the end of last season fool you. This Cardinal team is going to be back strong for the 2024 season.
Tons of transfers are coming in to help Louisville get over the top. The team lost several key components from last year. However, the team should be fine and some of the new transfers are upgrades compared to their predecessors.
The transfers begin with a new starting quarterback. Jack Plummer is now in the NFL so Brohm got Tyler Shough from Texas Tech.
Shough is a quality passer and it is very good. However, the biggest question involving him has always been his health. If Shough can stay injury-free, this Louisville offense will have tons of firepower.
Shough will work with a group of receivers that's also new to the program. Second-leading receiver Chris Bell returns and will put up bigger numbers compared to last year.
To be alongside Bell, Louisville added several wideouts through the transfer portal. The Cardinals got Ja'Corey Brooks from Alabama, Caullin Lacy from South Alabama, and tight end Mark Redman from San Diego State.
These three should start and shine immediately. The offensive line play has to get better, especially in pass protection. It's going to be relied on heavily.
The holdover on the front five is senior left guard Michael Gonzalez. Renato Brown also returns to fill in the right guard spot after sustaining a season-ending injury after starting the first six contests of 2023.
Monroe Mills from Oklahoma State and Jonathan Mendoza from Yale will take over at the tackle spots. The center position will be decided between Ohio State's Victor Cutler and Northern Illinois' Pete Nygra.
The running game will be better as well, despite Louisville ranking fifth in the conference in 2023. Tyler Shough can make plays happen on his own. Louisville lost their top two backs Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo.
However, veteran Maurice Turner is still in the rotation. Just like with every other position on the offense, Louisville also depended on the transfer portal to add depth. They scooped up Miami's Donald Chaney.
Unlike the offense, the defense won't rely heavily on transfers, as most of their starting 11 returns. The defense was what made Louisville so successful last season.
The Cardinals were the top red zone defense in the country and ranked 21st in total defense in 2023. Louisville runs multiple defensive sets, so the rotation on the frontline is going to be a consistent theme.
However, the defensive line is led by senior end Ashton Gillotte. In 2023, Gillotte led the entire ACC in sacks with 11. He's the face of the unit. Gillotte is also joined by fellow senior veteran Dezmond Tell, who plays defensive tackle.
Harvard transfer Thor Griffith will get a chance to start on the nose and will be one of a few transfers that will help give the line depth.
Redshirt junior linebacker TJ Quinn is the team's best linebacker. Last season, he led the team in tackles with 92 to go along with an interception and fumble recovery. The secondary is the part of the defense that returns the most parts and production.
Senior strong safety Devin Neal was Louisville's second-leading tackler who led the team with four interceptions.
Redshirt senior Quincy Riley was second on the squad last year with three picks and made 49 stops himself. Benjamin Perry will be seen in sets with five defensive backs and he can fly around the field and is very physical. Louisville brought in one cornerback to pair alongside Riley. That is UCF's Corey Thornton. Free safety MJ Griffin will also return after missing all of last year with a knee injury.
There are a few advantages to Louisville's schedule for 2024. They don't have to hit the road for the first time until September 28th against Notre Dame.
The Cards also miss out on playing Florida State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Virginia Tech. The season opens up against Austin Peay and Jacksonville State. Both are good teams in their respective conferences but Louisville should beat them.
The downside is that starting on October 19th, the Cards will only have two home games until the conclusion of the regular season.
Those are matchups against Miami on the aforementioned date and on November 23rd against Pitt. In that stretch, they also have to travel to the West Coast to take on Stanford.
They also haven't beaten rival Kentucky since 2017. However, this team is good enough to be in the race for the ACC title game. Louisville can beat Miami and Clemson and other than those two, don't face many top-tier opponents in conference play.
While Georgia Tech is improving, they're not good enough to beat Louisville. The Cardinals can get off to a fast start. Don't be surprised to see them hanging around late in the year, especially if they take down Clemson.