Louisville football 2017: Projected Cardinals depth chart

With Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson set to return under center and plenty of surrounding talent, the Louisville Cardinals enter 2017 as an ACC contender.

Following a disappointing final stretch last season, the Louisville Cardinals will look to bounce back in 2017 with a run to an ACC championship and more.

Louisville spent much of the early going in playoff position by racing out to a 9-1 record that included a historic beatdown of Florida State and a narrow loss to Clemson in Death Valley. Meanwhile, sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson quickly separated himself in the Heisman Trophy race, an honor he would eventually capture at the end of the year with over 5,000 total yards and 51 touchdowns.

The team turned out to be much more than just Jackson, as playmakers like Jamari Staples and James Quick helped contribute to one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. While the unit had an up-and-down season overall, Louisville’s defense also turned in a number of strong outings behind the likes of Chucky Williams and James Hearns.

However, the Cardinals would end the season in ugly fashion with three straight losses, bringing their record down to 9-4 overall. The offensive line completely fell apart in a blowout loss to Houston, while Jackson had his worst outings of the season in defeats to rival Kentucky and LSU in the Citrus Bowl.

With Jackson back under center in 2017, the Cardinals are at least going to be a factor in the competitive ACC Atlantic. There’s still plenty of athleticism on both sides of the ball despite a number of key losses, and Louisville has an older roster with just two underclassmen atop the projected depth chart.

Bobby Petrino will still have a few questions to answer if Louisville is to challenge Florida State and defending national champion Clemson in the division. A number of Jackson’s top targets are gone, while new offensive line coach Mike Summers and defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon will be asked for more out of their respective units.

The new starters will need to get up to speed by Sep. 16, when the Cardinals host Clemson, as the schedule is otherwise favorable in the early going. Here is Louisville’s projected depth chart for the 2017 season, according to ourlads.com.