15 college football teams losing the most talent in 2018

• Early NFL Draft Entrants: 2 (QB Lamar Jackson, DB Jaire Alexander)
• Starters Lost: 11 (3 Offense, 8 Defense)
• Two-Deep Lost: 12 (4 Offense, 9 Defense)
• Passing Yards Returning: 238 (6.11 percent)
• Rushing Yards Returning: 538 (16.33 percent)
• Receiving Yards Returning: 2,864 (74 percent)
• Tackles Returning: 335 (47.1 percent)

Louisville suffers from the worst of both worlds. The Cardinals lost eight starters on defense and must replace more than half their tackling production from the 2017 squad. Four of the team’s top five tacklers from last season are gone, and 10 of the top 13 on the tackling leaderboard graduated. That figure doesn’t include talented cornerback Jaire Alexander, who decided to forego his senior season for the NFL Draft. The Cards must replace the entire starting secondary, three of four starters on the defensive line and multiple linebackers.

In terms of starters, the Louisville offense is in a better place. The Cardinals only lost three starters on the offensive side of the ball, and only four of the team’s two-deep depth chart must be replaced. Of course, one of the three to leave was the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner.

Lamar Jackson wasn’t just the leading passer for Louisville over the last three seasons, he was also the team’s leading rusher during that period as well. Jackson amassed 9,043 passing yards and 69 touchdowns in three seasons and added 4,132 rushing yards and scored 50 times on the ground.

Jackson, Reggie Bonnafan and Malik Williams combined for 2,749 rushing yards in 2017, which equates to more than 84 percent of the yearly total for the Cardinals. Louisville will have its top three receivers back for 2018, but depth could be an issue. The Cardinals lost more than a quarter of their receiving production.