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The Louisville Cardinals’ defense got a facelift in the offseason, with the majority of the turnover happening in the secondary. Safety is a position group that will have new starters, but also plenty of experience. Ron English will get D’Angelo Hutchinson back after a year of being a key reserve and a spot-starter. English and the staff also went out and grabbed a couple of starters from other programs who can bring depth, along with strong production. While this may not be the most discussed group on the defense, it could be the most important if they play on either extreme of average.
Hutchinson slides into a full-time starting role this year after being a mainstay on special teams and in the safety rotation for the last two seasons. Hutchinson is a long player at 6-3/200, but he is a solid tackler for his size and his length gives him more range than others. With a few years in the defense, I think Hutchinson will take a step forward this year to be an asset against the run as well as being a guy that can cover tight ends and slot receivers.
JoJo Evans will line up at the other safety spot after having a very strong year at FIU. Evans was a first-team All-Conference USA pick, and he had a season that would have garnered more respect if FIU hadn’t been so bad last year. Evans had 11 tackles against IU in their season opener, and his numbers against the best competition in his career have been impressive. In four games against P4 competition as a starter, Evans has put up 34 tackles, 3 PBUs, and a forced fumble. Three of those teams finished the season in the top ten, and one of them one the national championship. It’s hard not to be a little excited about Evans and what he might be able to do with his step up in competition.
Depth should be a strength this year for the Cards after adding talented players over the last two years who have good experience and/or a strong pedigree. Corey Gordon comes in from Baylor as a part-time starter and playmaker for the Bears. Gordon had three interceptions last season, and he played a nice role for the Bears as a “hair on fire” style of safety and special teams player who played downhill and performed well against the run and the pass. Gordon will bring a type of aggression that the defense will need, but I also think he brings some versatility. He and Evans can play on the field together to cover slot receivers or play in the box, which gives English some options.
Louisville will have another experienced player in the two-deep with Blake Ruffin returning after an injury kept him out last year. Ruffin was an All-American at Eastern Illinois two years ago and used that season to make the leap to the ACC when he returned home to UofL. Ruffin is a big safety at 6-3/210, and I’d argue that he at least looks bigger than that. I’ve been impressed with how he moves at his size, and I think he can play in the box as well as play in man coverage. His experience will be a big help, but I do think that Ruffin can be a rotational piece throughout the season and not just a guy who spells a starter.
The last piece of the puzzle is Deah McCullough, who was a standout recruit coming out of high school. McCullough could be the second man up on the depth chart behind Hutchinson, which is where he was during fall practice. I will say that his foot speed was lacking in the spring, as UofL’s slot receivers ran past him on a regular basis when I watched them. I thought that he might be an option to back up Antonio Watts due to this, but he is still at safety, and it seems like the staff is happy with his play in practice. It’s a good problem to have when he’s a depth option, and I hope that he can be a versatile option that the staff can rely on because he has some real talent that should show up when he sees the field this year.
BREAKOUT CANDIDATE
One could make an argument for either starting safety, but I’m going to go with JoJo Evans. Louisville’s defense will need this group to be very good if it wants to reach its expectations. The pass rush could take a step back, which means that these guys will have to be good in deep coverage. If the pass rush takes a step back, it also means these guys will have to be in man coverage more often, as they will need to blitz more often. Evans has been good in both situations in his career. He can play the run very well, as evidenced by his tackling numbers, but he also has 9 PBUs and 3 picks over his last two seasons. I think he can take this step up in competition in stride.
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