LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As we inch closer to the start of the 2024 college football season, Louisville Report will break down each individual position on the Cardinals' roster. Next in our positional breakdown series, we take at look at the offensive line.
Left Tackle
Left Guard
Center
Right Guard
Right Tackle
This time last year, head coach Jeff Brohm had a bit of a dubious undertaking when it came to the offensive line. He inherited an position group that had good pieces on it, but had a slightly underwhelming 2022 campaign after ranking 64th and 74th nationally in terms tackles for loss and sacks per game, respectively. On top of that, with the coaching change, it meant that there were plenty of moving pieces both departing and incoming.
By the end of the 2023 season, you had an offensive line that, statistically, improved in one regard but regressed in another. Their 5.29 tackles for loss allowed ranked 51st in the then-130 teams in the FBS, but their 2.29 sacks allowed per game came in at 84th nationally.
However, face value stats only tell part of the story. The increase in sacks partially rested on the shoulders of quarterback Jack Plummer. Not only is he far less mobile than Malik Cunningham was, there were some instances during the 2023 season where he would walk right into a sack. Then you add in that his up-and-down play during the season would sometimes result in coverage sacks.
In fact, the advanced stats suggest that Louisville was a better pass blocking team than they were with run blocking. According to Pro Football Focus, they posted a pass blocking grade of 73.9, which was good for 30th in the FBS. As for their run blocking? Their below-PFF-average grade of 58.0 ranked 58.0. The Cardinals' exceptional one-two punch at running back in Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo appeared to mask the fact that Louisville's offensive line wasn't that great in the run.
Plus, like last offseason, there are a lot of moving parts at the top of the depth chart. For starters, center Bryan Hudson, who was the 2023 Jacobs Blocking Trophy recipient, graduated. Add in the fact that starting left tackle Eric Miller and starting right tackle Willie Tyler IV also exhausted their eligibility, and the Cardinals are losing three of their starters.
That all being said, this position is actually is pretty good shape heading into the 2024 season. Louisville does have a handful of impact players returning, hit the portal to address their needs, and has good overall depth.
The starting group of offensive linemen for Louisville will likely be anchored by their two guards. At left guard, you have arguably the Cardinals' best lineman on the roster in Michael Gonzalez. With a PFF grade of 70.6, he was the fourth-highest rated offensive guard in the ACC last season, and the eight-best pass blocker regardless of position with a pass block grade of 77.9 (min. 800 snaps). Allowing no sacks and just 14 total quarterback pressures in 490 pass block snaps and 914 total offensive snaps, he earned Third-Team All-ACC honors last season. Getting a experienced veteran like him back for his senior season is a huge boost.
Speaking of experienced veterans, over at right guard, we have one of the most tenured Cardinals on the roster in Renato Brown. A member of the Class of 2019 (!), he was able to come back for one more year after suffering a season-ending injury during pre-game warmup prior to the road game at Pitt. While his PFF grade of 60.9 last season was a career-worst, he still only allowed one sack and six pressures in 175 pass block snaps. If Brown stays healthy, he should be due for a rebound.
That leaves the tackle spots and center open for a new starter, and Brohm opted to go with transfers for each position.
Over at left tackle was Louisville's best portal pickup in Texas Tech's Monroe Mills. There's a reason why On3 tabbed him as the fourth-best offensive tackle to enter the portal this cycle. In 500 pass block snaps and 894 blocking snaps, he allowed only two sacks and 15 total pressures, earned himself an All-Big 12 honorable mention. His 68.3 PFF grade and 79.4 pass blocking grade were both inside the top-20 in the Big 12. Mills also put together a very good spring for Louisville, and his chemistry with Tyler Shough will be crucial as his blindside blocker.
On the other side of the line is, quite literally, one of the largest players to ever suit up for Louisville in Jonathan Mendoza. Coming over from Yale, Mendoza was one of the best offensive linemen in the Ivy League this past season. Splitting reps between right guard and left tackle in 2023, he earned All-Ivy League First-Team honors after allowing only one sack and 14 pressures in 337 pass block snaps and 662 blocking snaps overall. While he is making the jump from the Ivy League to the ACC, and going back to right tackle where he hasn't played since 2022, Mendoza looked incredibly comfortable in the spring open practices plus the spring game.
In the middle of the line, it's going to be tough to replace the best lineman in the ACC. That being said, Pete Nygra was a good get out of the portal. Last season for Northern Illinois, he did not allow a single sack and gave up just nine pressures in 382 pass block snaps and 772 blocking snaps. With a PFF grade of 71.2, he finished as the second-highest rated center and the ninth-best lineman regardless of position in the MAC (min. 700 snaps). Like with the two aforementioned transfers, Nygra is another player who had a great spring ball with Louisville, and the talent/production falloff after losing Hudson shouldn't be too steep.
Behind the starting five, Louisville has some good depth at most of the spots on the line, especially at guard. Lance Robinson was able to see some run in the Holiday Bowl last season due to late season transfer rule changes from the NCAA, and he is someone that the staff is very high on. He can play several spots on the line, but he likely will see the most reps at left guard and the interior overall, and looked good in the spring as well.
We already know that right guard has great depth based on what transpired last season. After Brown's midseason injury, Austin Collins stepped in as the starter here for the remainder of the season, and very much held his own. While his 47.1 run blocking grade absolutely needs work, his 72.4 pass block grade was third-best on the team, allowing only one sack and 10 pressures in 296 pass block snaps. It also helps that he can also play center if need be.
At the tackle spots, Louisville isn't quite as deep as they are at guard, but there are some serviceable backup options here. Trevonte Sylvester didn't see a ton of run last season in his first year as a Card, but will likely see a slightly bigger role as the backup left tackle. He's not a super experienced collegiate player (107 career snaps between Louisville and Houston), but did have a solid spring. Fall camp will determine his role in the O-line rotation.
Back over at backup right tackle, Rasheed Miller has a little bit more experience. Last season with Georgia Southern, he was one of the best O-linemen in the Sun Belt, taking home Second-Team All-Sun Belt honors. That being said, he did allow four sacks and 32 total pressures in 529 pass block snaps last season, and committed eight penalties (including four vs. Marshall alone). However, he did have a strong final week of spring ball at right tackle after Reuben Unije entered the portal.
Center is the spot where there are the most depth concerns at the moment. Victor Cutler spent the first three years of his career at Louisiana Monroe, and wasn't particularly efficient there (eight sacks, 28 pressures allowed in 2022). He also only played 21 total snaps last season at Ohio State. He seemed to hold his own during spring ball, but he'll likely need to have another good showing in fall camp – both for his sake and the position's sake.
If there's anyone outside of the two-deep that has a chance to crack the main offensive line rotation, it's Madden Sanker. After redshirting last season as the highest-ranked offensive line recruit to ever sign with the Cardinals, he took reps at both his natural position at guard and at center during spring ball. Fall camp will determine how big of a role he's ready for.
As for the other five scholarship lineman on the roster, don't expect them to have a significant role this season. Makhete Gueye still hasn't made his collegiate debut, Joe Crocker played just eight snaps against Murray State last season; while Fred Johnson, Ransom McDermott and Jimmy Williams III are all incoming freshmen. The latter four could all see siginificant time later on down the line with more development and experience in a collegiate environment, but that likely won't come this season.
When looking at the offensive line as a whole, arguably their biggest strength is the position-wide versatility. Gonzalez can play left guard and tackle. Collins has seen reps at both center and right guard. Mills and Miller can play both tackle spots. Cutler, Mendoza, Robinson have all played at three different spots on the line at some point in their collegiate careers.
It also helps that, no matter where these guys line up, they do a very good job in pass protection. Add in the fact that they have a more dynamic options at quarterback and made some upgrades to the wide receiver and tight end rooms, this will only help Louisville have a much more prolific passing attack in 2024.
However, one thing that the line will absolutely have to work on is their run blocking. It's one thing to have run-of-the-mill run blocking when you have guys like Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo to make it look better than it actually is. Heading into 2024, the Cardinals don't have a bonafide All-ACC caliber back, so they will collectively have to take a step forward in this department so that the offense doesn't become one-dimensional.
But even with the concerns with the run blocking, and some questions outside of the two-deep depth chart, Louisville is in line to have a strong offensive line heading into year two of the Jeff Brohm era. There isn't a "weak spot" at any of the five starting spots, and there are a few quality backup options for the Cardinals that will make determining their exact offensive line rotation difficult for the staff to determine – which is a good problem to have.
(Photo of Michael Gonzalez and Rasheed Miller: Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY)
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MATTHEW MCGAVIC
McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic
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