Louisville football wants elevated passing game. How transfer portal additions can help
Tyler Shough has proven he can be a top-tier quarterback for Louisville football if he can stay healthy.
Prior to a season-ending injury last year, the Texas Tech transfer averaged 186.5 passing yards per game over four contests. Shough completed 94.1% of his passes on screen plays and 61.9% of his play-action passes.
The Cardinals got a glimpse of what’s to come during the spring game. Shough’s first pass was an 80-yard touchdown to Chris Bell. He was limited during the scrimmage but totaled 177 yards and two touchdowns on 8-of-12 passing.
“Some of the things that he's doing on the practice field are very impressive considering he just got in the offense,” wide receivers coach Garrick McGee said about Shough. “He has a way to throw the ball with different arm angles, so if they're rushing him, he can get it out underneath and get it out on top. Our guys love him. I like that guy a lot. He's going to be a major advantage for us.”
Shough's talent and ability are undeniable. But equally important to the success of the Cardinals’ offense this year will be having solid pass catchers around him. Louisville added three receivers from the transfer portal who can help do that: Caullin Lacy, Antonio Meeks and Ja’Corey Brooks. Prior to the spring game, McGee noted Lacy’s improvement.
“He can run with the ball,” McGee said of Lacy. “He's a strong runner, but in regard to his route running and playing at our pace and the speed we want to play with, he's really developed over spring ball.”
Lacy, a projected starter, can have the most impact in the slot with Ahmari Huggins-Bruce and Kevin Coleman gone. The two transferred to South Carolina and Mississippi State, respectively. Although Lacy had only two receptions for 13 yards during the spring contest, his final season at South Alabama is more encouraging. According to Pro Football Focus, Lacy’s receiving grade of 85.0 tied for 25th nationally. He also caught 41.7% of passes that were contested with only a 5.2% drop rate.
Lacy’s 1,316 receiving yards and 109.7 receiving yards per game ranked seventh and third in the country, respectively.
While Lacy can do damage in the slot, Brooks gives Louisville a deep threat out wide. During the 2021 Iron Bowl, Brooks caught the game-tying 28-yard touchdown pass for Alabama, sending the game to overtime. The Crimson Tide beat rival Auburn, 24-22, and made the College Football Playoff. Alabama lost to Georgia in the national championship game.
A year later, Brooks was Alabama’s second-leading receiver with 674 yards and eight touchdowns on 39 receptions, catching 93.3% of his targets. Although Brooks had an injury-shortened 2023 season, he averaged 10 yards per catch. He lined up wide 81.8% of the time and caught the football 97% of the time he was targeted.
“We've seen him run routes and work, and he looks really impressive,” McGee said of Brooks, who was limited during the spring due to an injury.
Meeks brings versatility to the Cardinals. The Georgia native was Tuskegee’s leading receiver the past two years. He caught 43 passes for 745 yards and five TDs in eight games played for an average of 17.33 yards per catch in 2023. The year before, he totaled 692 yards and six scores on 31 receptions.
Louisville spent the spring figuring out where to play Meeks. During the spring game, he took his first snaps lined up in the boundary.
“He's just a natural catcher of the football,” McGee said of Meeks. “He understands how to move his body. Now that he's learning more and more about the offense and doesn't have to think so much, you can see his speed come to life. He's a solid receiver that's really going to help us. He's going to convert a lot of third downs for us.”
Although Meeks, Brooks and Lacy are learning a new system, all three are expected to be key cogs for the Cardinals.
“If we could run the ball, then it'll help us in the play-action game. If we can get vertical fast with our receivers, and they can get off press and they can get off collisions, they can stretch the field,” U of L coach Jeff Brohm said after the spring game April 19. "I think we hit a couple go routes today, a couple whole shots versus cover 2, and those are all good. But we still have to find other ways to get the ball vertical and make sure that big plays are being created to all receivers.”
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: Jeff Brohm Louisville football passing game can take next step in 2024
