SPORTS

Petrino: Key injured players fully healthy, working out

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj
UofL's Roy Philon (93) and Lorenzo Mauldin (94) sack Ohio quarterback Derrius Vick (15) on Sunday at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium earlier this season.

Louisville football worked through spring practice without two key defensive starters and another important backup.

U of L coach Bobby Petrino said Thursday that linebackers Keith Brown and Lorenzo Mauldin are fully healthy and working out again with their teammates.

Mauldin, a former defensive end who had labrum surgery after last season and missed the spring, aimed to return in May and he's done exactly that. He's the highest-profile returning player on Louisville's defense.

Brown, a prized linebacker prospect out of high school, missed the 2013 season after having surgery to repair a partially torn ACL. He's expected to start this fall.

"We've made great strides," Petrino said, praising Kyle Johnston, U of L football's director of sports medicine.

"Lorenzo and Keith are both full speed. (Keith) is still in the process of learning the defense and understanding everything. He's been going through all the quickness and change of direction drills at full speed. He's still a very talented young man."

Defensive tackle Kyle Shortridge, a redshirt freshman who will provide depth on Louisville three-man D-line this fall, had successful surgery on his ankle and will be ready to work out this summer.

Petrino didn't have an update on slot-corner-turned-safety Jermaine Reve, who missed the last week of spring practice with an undisclosed knee injury that required surgery.

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