Louisville
Louisville

Louisville Team Report

Updated: April 25, 2012 09:41 EST

Charlie Strong has fought for respect for the Louisville football program since he arrived on campus. Entering his third season as the head coach, that's still on his mind -- and he doesn't much care if the basketball team makes the Final Four.

Upset with the fact that his team was relegated to an afterthought in the wake of Rick Pitino's trip to the Final Four, Charlie Strong abruptly closed spring practice to the media. If they weren't going to give the program any ink, web space or air time, Strong figured, why did the press need access?

"Even though a lot of you were covering March Madness and also with the Final Four ... aren't there interns available? Are there just junior reporters that can come out and just cover our football program? Not that I'm trying to take away and ask for special treatment for our football program. I'm not trying to do that at all. But I know that each program can coexist," Strong said.

Ironically, the Cardinals got more ink nationally than locally. No more will Louisville be sneaking up on the rest of the league. With Teddy Bridgewater back and West Virginia gone, the Cardinals will enter 2012 as one of the favorites in the Big East.

And so after two years of pumping his team up, Strong now is asking for everyone to be a little bit realistic.

"When you look at it, two years ago we were picked to finish last. Last season, we were picked to finish last. For some reason this season, they picked us very high within our league. We still have a long ways to go. We're nowhere near where we should be. We have a lot of work to do," Strong said.

That may be so, but he's also got a lot to work with. Teddy Bridgewater is back to run the offense, with a strong group of receivers and a deep backfield. The defense should be in attack mode all season, and while experience and depth are both concerns, there's no reason that Louisville shouldn't expect to get more coverage than basketball this bowl season, when Pitino's squad is just getting started and Strong's may be in a BCS game.

--Louisville will again be one of the youngest teams in the country this season, so part of the spring was spent looking for leadership.

"If you look at this football team right now, we have nine seniors. So, leadership is going to be an issue. Where the leadership is going to come from?" Strong said. "You look at (Will) Stein, you look at (Alex) Kupper, you look at Daniel Brown, you look at (Adrian) Bushell, you look at those guys. There are guys within our program, but there are [just] nine seniors in this program."

--Success at Louisville has made Charlie Strong a coach whose name always seems to pop up for big openings. He reiterated the commitment of he and his staff to the program, saying "If you look at the continuity of our coaching staff, we have had guys on our staff have an opportunity to leave and they did not leave. We have a mission here and we are going to get this mission accomplished." Athletic director Tom Jurich noted that he would not allow the school to be outbid for Strong if money ever became an issue with a rival school.

SPRING MOVERS:

RB Senorise Perry -- Louisville has a number of running backs to choose from, but the coaching staff said that Perry had the best spring of anyone in the backfield. He's definitely the big-play threat among the backs, though he'll continue to compete with Dominique Brown, Jeremy Wright and Corvin Lamb for playing time.

WR Scott Radcliff -- Radcliff led the receivers at the spring game with nine catches for 119 yards. Though he's not a big-play threat, his sure hands make him likely to take on the role as the team's top possession receiver, which isn't bad considering he arrived as a walk-on and only recently was awarded a scholarship.

LB Preston Brown -- Brown opened eyes this spring as he moved to middle linebacker. He's the early favorite to begin the season as the starter, replacing the departed Dexter Heyman.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We still have to understand where we come from. It is a credit to our coaches and it's a credit to our players to come so far in two years and, now all of a sudden, being picked to either win this league or be placed second in this league. It is a tremendous job that they have done. Still, though, we are nowhere near where we should be." -- Louisville coach Charlie Strong, on where his team stands heading into the summer.

2012 OUTLOOK: Louisville is going to be the preseason No. 1 or No. 2 in the Big East in nearly every preseason poll, and for good reason. The Cardinals will be very young, but bring back the core of the team on both sides of the ball and have an all-league caliber quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater to run the show. Though Louisville won't be a national title contender just yet, it definitely has the horses to win a Big East weakened by the departure of West Virginia.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Charlie Strong stresses the balance of the offense, and the Cardinals should again be able to hurt opposing defenses both on the ground and through the air. Though the running back situation is still unsettled, depth is less of an issue than picking out who the go-to-guy will be. Senorise Perry and Dominique Brown looked good in the spring, but the battle is going to continue right up to the season opener.

The scary thing about the passing game is that Teddy Bridgewater is still just a sophomore. DeVante Parker was one of the stars of the spring and looks like he can be an every-down receiver and not just a big-play threat, and if everyone stays healthy -- and if the offensive line can rise to the challenge -- this should be one of the most potent offenses in the league.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Charlie Strong's defense is never going to let the opponents sit back and run their offense. Expect another year of blitzing linebackers and man-to-man coverage in the secondary. The key to success will be the performance of the cornerbacks and safeties, but if Adrian Bushell can be more consistent in 2012 opposing quarterbacks won't find a lot of openings there.

SCOUTING THE SPECIAL TEAMS: Here's where the Cardinal fans have to be a little uncomfortable heading into the summer. With Chris Philpott gone, the kicking game is uncertain. In fact, Strong has questions about the whole unit. "We have to find us a kicker. We have to find guys that can go down the field and get off of blocks. Then we have to go and be able to block people in the return game," he said.

TOP NEWCOMERS:

LB Keith Brown -- Brown enrolled early so he could participate in spring practice. The four-star recruit could see immediate playing time this fall.

LB James Burgess -- Another freshman linebacker who enrolled early, Burgess could get into the rotation on the outside as a true frosh. He played both outside and inside in high school, and showed no rust despite missing most of his senior season with a broken hand.

K Joshua Appleby -- Appleby was one of the top prep kickers in the country, and could see the field quickly if he can win the job vacated by Chris Philpott's graduation.

ROSTER REPORT:

--Jamon Brown switched from the offense to the defensive line this spring, and coach Charlie Strong indicated that the move would be permanent. He was one of the standouts of the spring on the offensive line, and it's a position where the Cardinals could use some extra help.

--WR Michaelee Harris missed spring practice following surgery for the ACL he tore in December. The coaching staff expects him to be ready to return for fall camp.

--Remember the name Corvin Lamb. The redshirt freshman was a spring star who worked his way into the running back rotation, and should be a strong contender for the starting job heading into the season opener.