Louisville receivers give Gardner all kinds of options
As soon as the 2013 football season ended — or at least once DeVante Parker decided to return to the University of Louisville for his senior year — the Cardinals' receiving corps was considered the best unit on the team.
Eight months later, that's still the case.
Parker, a 6-foot-3, 208-pound senior, has first-round NFL draft potential. James Quick, a sophomore, is starting to look like he can live up to his billing as the highest-rated high school prospect to sign with U of L.
There's a group of four other seniors around the Cards' two most talented receivers. Fifth-year senior Gerald Christian is back, too, giving U of L a 6-3, 244-pound pass-catching tight end with NFL potential.
"We're never going to replace (quarterback Teddy Bridgewater), but the new guy coming in (Will Gardner) will have some good weapons around him," coach Bobby Petrino said in July. "We have experienced receivers, a good tight end and a good group of running backs behind you. If you were going to be a new quarterback back there in an offense, that's what you'd want."
Gardner has been raving about his passing options in August camp. Parker is deemed nearly uncoverable by the U of L secondary. Quick has strung together some of the top plays of this month's practices.
Seniors Kai De La Cruz, Eli Rogers and Michaelee Harris have all had their moments, and the emergence of 6-5, 202-pound redshirt senior Matt Milton in spring practice gives Gardner another deep-ball and red-zone target.
"Matt Milton's 6-5 and DeVante's 6-3 — it's hard to choose which guy you want to throw it to one on one," Gardner said.
Surely the players know the big-stat potential in Petrino's offense. Three of his four Arkansas teams ranked in the top 15 in the FBS in passing offense, and each of his U of L squads from 2003-06 scored 20 or more passing touchdowns.
Petrino said the Cardinals won't run a specific style of offense. There may be references to the spread or single-back philosophies this fall, but he insists they won't be fully accurate.
He prefers to use the word "multiple" when asked what style of offense he runs. That word fit in Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage, when U of L switched from shotgun to single back to strong-I and just about every other possible offensive look.
The Cards ran hurry-up. They ran no-huddle. They huddled.
In each passing situation, it appeared the receivers were open. Milton caught a 65-yard touchdown pass. Rogers had six catches. Parker, De La Cruz, Harris and Quick had big-chunk receptions.
And if 6-3 freshman Javonte Bagley continues to impress the coaching staff, there's a chance he might get on the field, too, as a deep threat.
To say the Cards are excited about all those options in the passing game would be an understatement.
"All the guys stand out," cornerback Andrew Johnson said. "Everybody has something to them. Going against those guys, you don't know what to expect."
Reach Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter @jeffgreer_cj.
U OF L RECEIVERSAT A GLANCE
X-WR Ht. Wt. Yr. Exp.
DeVante Parker 6-3 208 Sr. 3L
Kai De La Cruz 6-0 187 R-Sr. 3L
W-WR Ht. Wt. Yr. Exp.
Eli Rogers 5-10 180 Sr. 3L
Michaelee Harris 6-2 196 R-Sr. 3L
Z-WR Ht. Wt. Yr. Exp.
James Quick 6-1 195 So. 1L
Matt Milton 6-5 202 R-Sr. 3L
Javonte Bagley 6-3 180 Fr. HS
TE Ht. Wt. Yr. Exp.
Gerald Christian 6-3 244 R-Sr. 3L
Keith Towbridge 6-5 266 So. 1L
Micky Crum 6-4 250 Fr. HS
Charles Standberry 6-3 216 Fr. HS
• Position coach: Lamar Thomas' name is very familiar to college football fans. He recently was inducted in the University of Miami Hall of Fame after starring for the Hurricanes at receiver and playing eight years in the NFL.
• Strengths: There's just about everything a coach could want in a receiving and tight end corps. There's size, speed, strength and the ability to run after catches. Christian adds a down-the-seam threat at tight end.
• Weaknesses: If there's a weakness, it's probably reliability with catches. It's a small knock on the Cardinals' receivers, but some of them have had issues with dropped passes.
• Watch for: Where do we begin? Does coach Bobby Petrino use freshman Javonte Bagley after a breakout August camp? What roles do James Quick and Matt Milton have? Just how big of a statistical year can DeVante Parker produce?
• Bottom line: This is the best position group on the team. Parker has first-round potential in the 2015 NFL draft, and Quick is a budding star. Milton can be a solid deep threat and red-zone target, and Rogers, De La Cruz and Harris are all solid underneath options. Christian could be in for a big year.
— Jeff Greer