Newcomers impress at first U of L practice

The first preseason University of Louisville football practice is in the books, and the NCAA's new rules allowing coaches to spend more time with players over the offseason clearly paid off.

U of L's newcomers, who will practice apart from the squad veterans this week, looked sharp and in shape during the two-hour session in the shadow of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon and quarterback transfers Tyler Bruggman and Tyler Ferguson worked out with offensive coordinator Garrick McGee for much of the session.

Safety transfers James Sample and Josh Harvey-Clemons and junior-college transfer Pio Vatuvei, a defensive end, all worked out with their teammates as well.

"(The week of separate practices) give us younger guys some confidence going into camp," Bonnafon said. "It's new to us. To get some confidence rolling in before we join the whole team, it'll really help."

Sample and Harvey-Clemons in particular were promising sights for the Cardinals, who need depth and talent at the safety position.

Though Harvey-Clemons won't be eligible to play this fall after transferring from Georgia, Sample can help right away. He played two years at Washington before spending last fall at American River College in California.

Sample's arrival at U of L was in doubt until late last week, when he was finally cleared to play. He hadn't enrolled at the university as of Friday, but the 6-foot-2, 191-pound junior said he stayed in shape and studied his playbook while he waited.

He came to Louisville over the weekend.

"It was tough but, after I got everything cleared, I was excited to get my plane ticket and come down here. It was a relief," Sample said. "I had to step up my game a little bit since I wasn't out here for the summer conditioning and stuff."

DAY 1 STANDOUTS

The three quarterbacks made some confident throws during drills and team run-throughs.

Bonnafon, a 6-foot-1 freshman from Trinity High, lived up to the offseason praise from Petrino, zipping two perfect passes to fellow freshman Javonte Bagley and hitting senior Kai De La Cruz across the middle on another.

Freshman cornerback Trumaine Washington, who will compete for playing time with regular starting corner Terell Floyd moving to safety, swatted a deep ball from Ferguson and broke up a would-be touchdown pass.

And it was hard to miss 6-foot-4, 350-pound guard Jimmie Terry, who looked bigger than his listed size and wasn't exactly enjoying his snug jersey.

NOTABLE

• Kai De La Cruz will work out with the newcomers this week to accommodate for a summer class that runs in the afternoons. He made a nice play over the middle on a pass from Bonnafon and looked sharp in drills.

• Junior-college transfer Pat Thomas, expected to compete for the backup quarterback job, will practice this afternoon with the veterans. Freshman running back LJ Scott is slated for that session as well.

• Finesse Middleton, a redshirt freshman who played outside linebacker this spring, is now listed as a defensive tackle on the fall roster. The 5-foot-11, 246-pound Alabama native is mentioned as one of outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin's backups in the media guide, but depth concerns on the defensive line may have prompted the change.

QUOTABLE

"It's big (replacing first-round NFL draft pick Calvin Pryor). There's big shoes to fill, but I'm not trying to come here and do what he did. I'm trying to make my own name and my own statement." —safety James Sample.

INJURY UPDATE

Not much new to report after Bobby Petrino told reporters on Monday that defensive back Jermaine Reve will miss the season because of a knee injury.

Running backs Corvin Lamb and Brandon Radcliff, who both rehabbed injuries through the summer, ran through drills with redshirt senior Darius Skinner and redshirt sophomore Lamar Atkins.

Lamb showed no signs of discomfort or lost speed a year after a knee injury sidelined him.

Safety Terrence Ross played with the first-unit newcomers during 11-on-11 drills and worked out at full capacity.