Louisville Football position series: Quarterbacks
Even with a double-digit win season in his first year at his alma mater, Jeff Brohm’s quarterback situation was not the most ideal, but he maximized it as best he could and Louisville was successful because of it.
Jack Plummer had his ups and downs throughout the season, but the defense is what kept the team in just about every game. Now, the game plan for the Cardinals is to elevate their play at the quarterback position with newly acquired transfer Tyler Shough, whose NFL upside is much higher than Plummer’s.
Shough is an intriguing player, because he has all the tools to be one of the better quarterbacks in not only the ACC, but the entire country. Standing at 6’5, Shough has the prototype height for seeing over lineman, combine that with natural arm talent and speed that’s good enough for him to be a threat on the ground and you have a pretty good quarterback on paper. Shough’s natural ability edges Plummer in just about every way when it comes to quarterbacking. The only question mark about Shough remains the same, his health.
It could be that he’s injury prone, but some of his injuries have also just been freak accidents. Shough’s talent and ability are there, but his main focus for the offseason should be doing whatever he can to stay out of harm's way. His ability to stay healthy will play a huge factor in Louisville making the College Football Playoff now that it’s been expanded to a twelve team format. Jeff Brohm has to feel a little bit better knowing he upgraded at quarterback, but now he just has to hold his breath on durability.
Louisville fans have been waiting patiently for the talented Pierce Clarkson to get his chance to run the offense and slowly but surely, his time is coming up. The redshirt freshman has thrown two passes in his college career, but he oozes potential as a dual-threat quarterback in a Jeff Brohm led offense. Brohm and his staff thought it was best for Clarkson to take in as much as he could while watching upperclassman set an example for him. Now that almost two off seasons have gone by, their plan is finally starting to pay off. Clarkson was named the number two quarterback on the depth chart, ahead of Harrison Bailey and Brady Allen who both have more college experience than him. Clarkson’s athleticism gives him the ability to escape the pocket much easier than Bailey and Allen, probably Shough too. If his accuracy continues to improve, he could be a real problem next season.
Here’s what Jeff Brohm had to say about Clarkson earlier this month via On3 Sports:
“The quarterback position is unique. To play at a high level you’ve got to be really good. You’ve got to be seasoned. You’ve got to be sharp. You’ve got to be able to make plays. You’ve got to be able to come through when your team needs you and you’ve got to be able to get the ball in the endzone,” Brohm said. “So, I think right now Pierce Clarkson continues to improve and get better. Getting him as many game reps as we can where the rush is getting at him. He’s got to be able to make plays and be able to adjust and play on the fly. We’ve done a decent job of that, but he’s got to continue to keep excelling at that.”
Harrison Bailey would be the third quarterback in line as of now. Although he’s a walk-on now, Bailey was a formerly a highly touted prospect that was ranked as high as the 85th best player in the 2020 high school class. Almost five years later and he’s still in college trying to stay ready for an opportunity to start. Those chances aren’t likely, but Bailey has the skill set and expertise to be effective in a Jeff Brohm led offense.
Brady Allen is the fourth quarterback on the depth chart and he’s right behind Bailey for QB3. Allen is a 6’5 pocket passer with good arm talent. He’s got the ability to drive the ball into tight coverage and he’s athletic enough to move out of the pocket if he needs to. Allen’s biggest issue has been his consistency throughout his college career. There are some days where his accuracy and his processor just aren’t aligned with each other, causing him to miss some easy throws that he needs to see completed. It’s not a surprise that he’s far from starting in this offense, but Allen, as do the other quarterbacks, has the tools to be successful. It’s a matter of sharpening all those tools and continuing to make strides in practice.
Louisville’s quarterback situation is much better than it was a season ago, as long as Shough can stay healthy. No matter how good you are at every other position, if you don’t have a capable quarterback your team won’t be what it could be. That’s where the Cardinals were stuck at last year, but now Jeff Brohm and co. feel like they have their guy. Louisville had a good season last year and now it’s time for a great season with some of those holes filled up. The expectations I have for this team would be nothing less than another ten win season and a road win against those cats up the road.
It’s a long way from November, but this quarterback room gives me a confidence that wasn’t there a year ago and I predict it’ll be the biggest reason why the Cardinals have a real shot at being a top twelve team at the end of the season.