Louisville football, Jeff Brohm have questions ahead of fall camp. 5 to answer in 2024

We made it.

College football is officially upon us and begins in Louisville with fall camp starting Wednesday. The Cardinals will have a different look than in the spring after getting players healthy and adding a few more from the transfer portal.

Heading into Year 2 under Jeff Brohm , many players have an "unfinished business" mentality after ending the season on a three-game losing streak. The Cardinals will be one of the ACC teams to beat after finishing 7-1 in the league and making the championship game last season.

U of L’s 2024 schedule is tougher than last season, especially with competitive road games against Notre Dame, Clemson and rival Kentucky, but the Cardinals' talented roster will be up for the challenge.

Louisville’s season starts at home against Austin Peay on Aug. 31, but the Cardinals have three weeks of practice before the real fun begins.

Here are five questions for Louisville f o otball to answer during fall camp:

Who’s starting, officially?

Louisville lost 12 of its main starters (seven on offense, five on defense).

Certain starters are a given — such as returning offensive linemen Michael Gonzalez and Renato Brown , defensive end Ashton Gillotte , cornerback Quincy Riley and quarterback Tyler Shough — while others were solidified during the spring. Still, some starting positions don’t seem to be set. Tight end is one of the biggest questions on offense. Nate Kurisky is the returning starter, but Brohm has lauded redshirt freshman Jamari Johnson as an important cog to the Cardinals’ offense this year. Then there’s incoming transfers Izayah Cummings (Kentucky), Jaleel Skinner (Miami) and Mark Redman (San Diego State), true freshman Dylan Mesman and returner Duane Martin .

There were some questions about who would replace Jawhar Jordan as Louisville’s starting running back, but Brohm alluded to Maurice Turner getting the RB1 nod.

“He understands it's his position and his time to shine,” Brohm said of Turner.

Chris Bell is the lone returning starting wide receiver, which leaves two open spots around him. Caullin Lacy is projected to nab one of the spots left open by Kevin Coleman in the slot.

The Cardinals have two spots to fill for both the defensive line and secondary and one among the linebackers.

Which receivers are healthy?

Louisville’s wide receiver numbers were down so much during the spring that the Cardinals pulled a couple of their quarterbacks to train at the position. Injuries left the unit with less depth than Brohm would’ve liked. The spring and summer gave players time to heal in preparation for fall camp and the season. One of the biggest absences during the spring was Alabama transfer Ja’Corey Brooks , a projected starter. Brohm said he’s going full speed after sustaining a shoulder injury last season.

What does the defensive line rotation look like?

Louisville’s defensive line is loaded and ready for another big season. The Cardinals addressed depth concerns by signing Tramel Logan, Richard Kinley and Rene Konga from the transfer portal after the spring. U of L also was missing Thor Griffith during the spring, but the Harvard transfer is now on campus.

During the spring game, Maurice Davis and Micah Carter were two of the younger defensive linemen who had positive showings among older players. Given the returning experience with Gillotte, Dez Tell and Ramon Puryear , among others, defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Mark Hagen is tasked with how to get as many linemen in as possible to keep everyone fresh.

How will Louisville keep Tyler Shough healthy?

After suffering injuries the last three seasons, Shough’s health was a major concern prior to spring practices. He didn’t disappoint during the spring game, but with the season on the horizon, health is at the forefront of the Cardinals’ minds.

The coaching staff will continue to do everything it can to ensure that Shough plays a full season as a starter for the first time in his college career. That means less running and having a rotation of 9-10 offensive linemen around him. Louisville lost Bryan Hudson as its mainstay at center but should have a solid replacement in Pete Nygra . Brown’s return also will be key after the redshirt senior gave up only one sack in 315 snaps at left guard before suffering a season-ending injury last year at Pittsburgh. Austin Collins replaced Brown and also only allowed one sack over 578 snaps in 10 games.

Last year, U of L ranked 84 ^th for sacks allowed with 2.3 per game (32 total). Texas Tech, Shough’s old team, ranked 51 ^st with 1.85 per outing (24 total). A mostly new unit will try to keep Shough out of harm’s way.

How do the post-spring additions look?

Despite signing in the winter, Redman and Griffith didn’t make it to campus until the summer. Only five of Louisville’s incoming freshmen were with the program during the spring. The Cardinals added four defensive players from the portal after the spring game, and each is expected to be a contributor.

After adapting to the new pieces that arrived in January, the squad used the summer to incorporate newer players into the fold. Having not been able to fully practice during June and July, fall camp will give U of L a chance to see how each piece fits.

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football, Jeff Brohm have questions ahead of fall camp. 5 to answer in 2024