We're 61 days away from Louisville kicking off its 2022 college football season and when you're talking about 85-man rosters there is never a shortage of angles to break down.

Louisville fans know all about the biggest names on the defense with players like Monty Montgomery, Kei'Trel Clark, Yasir Abdullah, Jermayne Lole, Kenderick Duncan, and YaYa Diaby all expected to play significant roles.

But, there are plenty of opportunities across different position groups for players to have breakout seasons and elevate themselves into prominent roles within the defense.

Here are some of our defensive breakout candidates:

Louisville's coaches know that the Cardinals need to get bigger across the defensive line heading into this upcoming season.

Fans have been deliberate in their calls for more beef up front.

One of the players that could help Louisville in that department is defensive lineman Caleb Banks.

Banks, at 6-foot-7, is now listed at 300 pounds, and is poised to hear his number called this fall after showcasing not only his size, but his speed during spring ball.

Defensive line coach Mark Ivey explained what about Banks makes him different:

"Caleb is kind of an oddity, because at that size, to be able to move around like he does, is kind of strange. He's very athletic for a man of that body size. There's a lot of things he's going to be able to do. He is truly untapped right now. He's just starting to figure out what he can be as a football player."

Jermayne Lole is likely going to be the opening day starter, but if Banks can start to realize his potential — even if it's in small doses — it would really be a positive development.

More pressure has to be on Bryan Brown's wish list for this season. The easiest way to get pressure is to have a player when their 1 on 1 battle. Sure, you can blitz and bring more defenders than the offensive line can block, but having a consistent rotation of pass rushers makes life better for everyone.

Edge Ryheem Craig is a player that comes to mind when looking at who can be inserted into the lineup in third and long situations.

Yasir Abdullah is great at getting to the quarterback. YaYa Diaby has been able to do create havoc in spurts.

But, players like Craig need to step up to give Bryan Brown the ability to send fresh pass rushers into the game.

Craig only played eight snaps last year, but he was able to generate pressure when he did see the field.

PFF gave Craig a 67.4 score for the season, which was among the best on Louisville's defense.

One of the higher-profile recruits in the 2021 class, Ben Perry comes into the 2022 season playing a different position, at a much different weight.

Perry has bulked up significantly since the end of last season, and is now close to 220 pounds.

Perry has primarily been a safety, but saw increased work at the CARD spot throughout spring practice.

Jack Fagot, who handled most of the snaps at that spot, has graduated leaving a starting role to be had.

Perry will likely compete with Marvin Dallas throughout fall camp to see who gets the nod, but either way, Louisville's defense would benefit from a breakout season from the redshirt freshman.

After only playing in six snaps last year, Perry has a chance to really make his mark in his second year at Louisville.