We are now only 26 days from Louisville kicking off the 2022 football season. We continue to get fans set for the season by breaking down the roster one position at a time. In today's preview, we take a look at the offensive line.
Projected Depth Chart
Left Tackle:
Trevor Reid, Michael Gonzalez
Left Guard:
Caleb Chandler, Luke Kandra
Center:
Bryan Hudson, Austin Collins
Right Guard:
Adonis Boone, Joshua Black
Right Tackle:
Renato Brown, Kobe Baynes
Reasons to be Optimistic
All five projected starters up front for Louisville played over 450 snaps a year ago. Caleb Chandler, Trevor Reid, and Bryan Hudson played in all 13 games. Renato Brown and Adonis Boone played in 12 games each, respectfully. Bringing back that much experience across the offensive line, a group that was a stabilizing force in 2021 is huge, and the outlook for this group entering the year is extremely positive.
Caleb Chandler was First Team All-ACC in 2021 and returns to college football in 2022 as one of the best offensive guards in the country. According to Pro Football Focus's analytics, Chandler had the highest grade of any guard in the ACC at 87.7.
Bryan Hudson figures to slide in at center, taking over for Cole Bentley. Hudson played multiple positions last year, but all indications are that the transition to being the full-time starting center are going as well as you could hope.
Trevor Reid moved over to left tackle and protected Malik Cunningham's blindside extremely well in 2021.
Adonis Boone was put inside at guard last year and was solid playing a position that fits his frame much better than at tackle.
Renato Brown has started 21 out of 24 games dating back to the 2020 season, and with another productive year, Brown could start to pop up on NFL mock drafts.
In addition to the five players highlighted above, Michael Gonzalez is a guy who played his way into the rotation last year. Gonzalez played 446 snaps as a true freshman, and is a guy who can play either tackle spot.
The player on the offensive line who is ready to break out is Luke Kandra. Kandra only played 39 snaps in 2021, but he graded out at a 92.6 (PFF), the best on the Louisville offense.
Reasons to be Pessimistic
I have no hesitations about the starting group, and people around the program feel good about the depth across the board. However, there are a lot of unproven guys in the projected two-deep depth chart.
The one spot in particular where I have the most concern is the backup center, behind Bryan Hudson. Austin Collins is listed there as the number two, but he only played four snaps in 2021.
Kobe Baynes and Joshua Black are also listed in the two-deep, and both of them played under 10 snaps last season.
Michael Gonzalez and Luke Kandra are probably the backups at both tackle and guard spots, but the second group as a whole lacks experience.
Can any of the true freshmen come in and provide depth? Sam Secrest is listed at 6-foot-6, 310-pounds and has college-ready size. Izaiah Reed and Max Cabana were also in the 2022 class, and could factor in at some point.
If you're looking for a guy off the radar who is capable of being a big-time player, I'd look at Aaron Gunn. Gunn was a member of the 2021 class out of Pennsylvania who is physical, and showed a lot of promise at the high-school level.
Overall, the offensive line essentially returns five starters, and could be the best position group collectively on the team. Louisville is at least seven deep with Gonzalez and Kandra being in the mix.
There's a lot to like about Nic Cardwell's group heading into the 2022 campaign, as the first-year coach should have one of the best offensive line units in the ACC.
