U of L has talent to fill in draft departures
The University of Louisville football team grabbed 26 interceptions this season, tying with Louisiana Tech and TCU for the national lead. The Cardinals ranked 28th in the nation in passing defense and held all but one opponent -- Florida State -- to 251 or fewer passing yards.
It makes sense, then, that three of Louisville's five primary defensive backs this season have declared their intentions to enter the 2015 NFL draft and forgo their final years of college eligibility.
Redshirt sophomore safety Gerod Holliman's decision leaked out first in late December, and a report of redshirt junior cornerback Charles Gaines's plans surfaced about a week later. On Monday, junior safety James Sample told a Washington-based recruiting reporter that he, too, would enter the draft.
U of L plans to address all the draft departure reports in the coming days. The NFL's early-entry deadline for players who still have college eligibility is Jan. 15.
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Now Louisville has been tasked with replacing four secondary starters: the three draft-bound defensive backs and graduating cornerback Terell Floyd. Another cornerback, senior backup Andrew Johnson, graduated in December and has exhausted his eligibility.
Floyd started 39 games in his career at U of L and was a reliable, versatile cover man who helped at safety for the first part of the season. Holliman tied the NCAA record for interceptions in a single season with 14 picks and was U of L's first AP first-team All-American since Elvis Dumervil in 2005.
Sample led the team in tackles. Gaines, who began college as a receiver, collected seven career interceptions, including a team-best five in 2013. And Johnson, who battled injuries throughout his career, was a valuable, experienced reserve and sometimes starter.
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But there is plenty of talent in the pipeline, even if there's a relative lack of experience.
The only starter expected to return is redshirt junior Jermaine Reve, who over the second half of the season manned the nickelback position in Louisville's 3-3-5 sets, the formation the Cards used the most this season by defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's estimate. Like Floyd, Reve is a versatile defensive back who can play safety or corner.
Two Georgia transfers, safety Josh Harvey-Clemons and cornerback Shaq Wiggins, appear to be ready to take on significant roles next season. Grantham raved about their scout-team progress this season, and it was clear in preseason camp that both players were talented.
Harvey-Clemons started 11 games at UGA and played in 25 total over his two years there. Wiggins played in 12 games and started in eight as a freshman with the Bulldogs.
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"They're ready to compete for starting jobs," Grantham said last month. "I'm really proud of their work ethic and the things they've accomplished this year."
Freshman cornerback Trumaine Washington played in eight games, sometimes supplanting Johnson as a primary corner, and fellow freshman Zykiesis Cannon played in nine, including the bowl game against Georgia. Cannon could be a candidate to move into Reve's job as the nickelback if Reve becomes a full-time safety or outside corner.
Beyond those five players, there's Terrence Ross, a redshirt freshman safety who was injured in preseason camp and appeared in two games. There's also redshirt sophomore Kevin Houchins, who played in eight games, and redshirt sophomore Jarrod Barnes. Redshirt freshman Chucky Williams got nine games' worth of experience this year, too.
In other words, Louisville is losing some of the bigger-name players from its starting defense, but there's enough leftover talent that Grantham and head coach Bobby Petrino are pretty confident they can keep their defense strong next year.
Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).