Louisville football broke out in a big way in 2023. They made their way to the ACC Championship Game en route to a stellar 10-3 regular season. However, a number of key players from that team are gone and now in the NFL. That includes the likes of Jack Plummer, Jawhar Jordan, Isaac Guerendo, Jamari Thrash, and Jarvis Brownlee. The good news for Louisville is that they return many players who will contribute immensely during the 2024 season. Those include the likes of Ashton Gillotte, Maurice Turner, and Quincy Riley.
Ashton Gillotte is one of the best pass rushers in the country
The 2025 NFL Draft class will feature a number of fantastic pass rushers. One of those players will be Louisville's Ashton Gillotte. Gillotte was absolutely outstanding last season. He racked up 11 sacks, which was 11th in the nation a year ago. The only players from a Power conference who registered more sacks were UCLA's Laiatu Latu and Utah's Jonah Elliss.
Gillotte's production doesn't stop there. He also forced three fumbles and had 45 total tackles in 2023. His advanced numbers paint a pretty picture as well. Gillotte registered a PFF grade of 86.6, which is an elite number. He also generated 59 quarterback pressures and posted a run grade of 85.7 according to their charting and statistics.
Gillotte is an excellent and complete player who plays one of the premier positions in the sport. He will be a hot commodity during the 2025 NFL Draft as a result, especially if he delivers another season like he did in 2023. Gillotte returning for the 2024 season is a massive win for Louisville football. He is absolutely someone to keep an eye on once the season kicks off.
Will Maurice Turner break out at running back?
Louisville had one of the best one-two punches in the country at running back last season. Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo were both excellent at that spot for them and parlayed their success into becoming draft picks in 2023. But, 313 carries, 1,938 rushing yards, 43 receptions, 480 receiving yards, and 28 total touchdowns between the two are gone.
Someone has to fill that void, and the best candidate to do so is Maurice Turner. The junior running back hasn't gotten a ton of work sitting behind those two. In two seasons, he has just 127 carries for 598 yards and one touchdown. He also has 23 receptions for 159 yards in that span. However, he has flashed when he's gotten the chance.
Turner really showed what he's capable of in Louisville's bowl game during the 2022 season against the Cincinnati Bearcats. He had 31 carries in that game and took them for 160 yards. He hasn't gotten many other opportunities to handle that type of workload in any other given week. The most yards Turner has put up in a game since then was an 81-yard performance against Pitt in 2023 on just 12 carries.
Turner is a bit undersized at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, but he has plenty of big-play ability. With those two off to the NFL, he should get every chance to earn a big role for the 2024 season. He's someone to pay close attention to during the 2024 football season for Louisville.
Quincy Riley is a shutdown corner
Louisville has done a solid job getting cornerbacks drafted into the NFL recently. Brownlee was just drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and Kei'Trel Clark went in the sixth in the draft before that. Five years prior, Jaire Alexander got selected in the first round by the Green Bay Packers. Another Louisville football corner could soon join them in the league in Quincy Riley.
Riley can do a little bit of everything. He is a willing tackler, evidenced by the 49 total tackles he registered last season. But he makes his bones in coverage. He has six interceptions in the two seasons he's spent in Louisville, including one for a touchdown.
His advanced numbers are outstanding as well. He had a coverage grade of 85.3 according to PFF. Riley also posted a completion percentage allowed of 36% and a 37.2 passer rating allowed according to their tracking. Riley is going to get drafted in next year's draft and could've been in this year's. Him returning to Louisville for the 2024 college football season was massive and should allow him to boost his stock even further.
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