Louisville Cardinals Roster 2019 Cardinals Roster

Head Coach: Bobby Petrino        2017 Salary: $3,930,434        Offensive Coordinator: Lonnie Galloway/Mike Summers       Defensive Coordinator: Brian VanGorder         

Stadium: Cardinal Stadium       Surface: Turf        City: Louisville        State: Kentucky

No Lamar Jackson, no problem for Bobby Petrino and company. Affording their top talent to the ranks of the NFL was a massive blow to this talented offense, but retention and key step-up quickly evades this transition from panic-mode. Jawon Pass spent last season in the shade while Jackson stole the spotlight. Jackson didn't need the attention to claim the title of best player in Louisville history, but he did leave some big shoes to fill. Pass has a playing style that mimics the attributes we associated with Jackson, which shouldn't cause for too much change in offensive sets to cater to his game. The hands team returns three solid talents ranging from sophomore to senior standouts. The defense will undergo a change of scenery for the third straight season. Petrino gets his guy in Brian VanGorder. VanGorder works heavily in the 3-4 and 4-3 sets, with nickel and dime looks causing little variation from his coaching style. This is important for a defense that is centered around talented bodies. Player placement and situational role play will write the story for this defense that is looking to crack the top-50 by season end. Being favored in 9 contests is a small price to pay for contests against Clemson and Alabama. Playing the pre-season projected #1 and #2 respectively will cause some headache for the team. Battling adversity is what Petrino run teams do best and there will be plenty to evade in 2018.