Editor’s note: Saturday Road’s annual Crystal Ball prediction series continues today with Louisville. Next up, we’ll preview Miami.

Previously: Boston College | Clemson | Duke | Florida State | Georgia Tech

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Only 1 name was seriously mentioned, or likely even considered, when Scott Satterfield left Louisville for Cincinnati in a surprise move last December.

It’s the same coach for whom Cardinals fans clamored the last time their team’s job came open 4 years earlier.

This time, Jeff Brohm decided it was time to come home.

The Louisville native isn’t just a conquering hero returning to lead his alma mater back to glory, as he did during his time as the Cardinals’ star quarterback in the early 1990s. He’s a proven winner with a record of success at Western Kentucky and Purdue. 

He inherits a program that has produced a Heisman Trophy winner and flirted with national relevance but is still trying to recover from the mess left behind by Satterfield’s predecessor, Bobby Petrino, along with other external factors that have plagued the school’s athletic department in recent years.

But if there’s anyone capable of overcoming those obstacles and teaching the Cardinals how to fly high again, Brohm is the man.

“Personally I like challenges. I look forward to them,” Brohm said. “Even when I took the Purdue job, I remember asking a lot of colleagues of mine when I took it, ‘what do you think? Should I take this job?’ Probably 95% said heck no, don’t take that.

“I like building a winning football team. Without question, coming here to the University of Louisville is another challenge. It’s unique. But yes, we have some really good football players on our team, some guys that have had success.”

It’s not as if Brohm is starting over from scratch.

Satterfield left the program in better shape than he found it and left after guiding last year’s team to an 8-win season that included a victory in the Fenway Bowl. 

The Cardinals return several key elements from a defense that led the nation in sacks and ranked among the top 3 nationally in takeaways. Offensively, Brohm and his younger brother Brian – the team’s offensive coordinator – have installed an Air Raid style attack designed to put up big numbers on both the stat sheet and the scoreboard.

And they’ve been blessed with a schedule that avoids both of the ACC’s top 2 heavyweights, Clemson and Florida State.

Brohm’s arrival and the promise he brings has ignited an energy in Louisville’s program that hasn’t been felt since Lamar Jackson was producing weekly highlight reels on his way to winning the Heisman in 2016.

Now all the prodigal son has to do is find a way to transform all that energy into results.

Free-agent frenzy

Brohm wasted little time rebuilding the Cardinals roster in his own image. He brought in 25 new veterans from the transfer portal, with a heavy emphasis on offense. And there’s plenty of quality to go along with that quantity.

Several rating services have recognized Louisville’s transfer class as the best in the country

“I think we have a lot to sell at the University of Louisville,” Brohm said. “In today’s age of college athletics, it’s about winning now. It’s about doing it, in my opinion, with our current football team and any new pieces we’ve added.”

With Brohm having been a star quarterback, it’s no surprise that he put a particular emphasis on finding someone to lead his Air Raid-style attack. He’s signed 3 transfer quarterbacks, including 2 who have played for him before.

Graduate Jack Plummer, who started for Brohm at Purdue before transferring to Cal and throwing for 3,100 yards last year, will likely get the immediate nod. Former Tennessee and UNLV quarterback Harrison Bailey, a former 5-star recruit, will also be in the mix while redshirt freshman Brady Allen, who came with Brohm from Purdue, is more of a long-term option.

Besides the trigger man, an explosive offense also needs explosive playmakers and Brohm appears to have found one in the person of former Georgia State wide receiver Jamari Thrash. Thrash had 61 catches for 1,122 yards and 7 touchdowns while averaging better than 18.4 yards per grab last season. 

Defensively, the Cardinals loaded up on the line with addition of 3 transfers, the best of which is Stephon Herron from Stanford. The linebacking corps picked up Keith Brown from Oregon while the secondary got a Duck –at least in name – with the signing of former UNC corner Storm Duck.

Coaching continuity on defense

While Brohm is introducing an entirely new offensive scheme, his defensive coordinator Ron English is subscribing to the philosophy of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” He plans on employing a scheme similar to the one that helped Louisville lead the nation with 50 sacks and rank 3rd in the FBS with 30 takeaways under the previous staff.

“I love Coach English and I definitely like his vision of how we should play football,” said junior edge rusher Ashton Gillotte, who contributed 6.0 sacks to last year’s total. “Obviously, we’ve built ourselves upon being aggressive, always trying to get to the ball and always trying to make plays. I think English understands that well and as a defense is putting us in a position to do that.” 

English’s scheme isn’t the only thing that’s familiar to Louisville’s defenders.

While most of Satterfield’s assistants moved over to Cincinnati with him, one popular coach – Mark Ivey – stayed behind and was retained by Brohm.

Ivey will work with the team’s linebackers after previously serving as defensive line coach, a role that saw him develop both YaYa Diaby and Yasir Abdullah into 2023 NFL Draft picks. He was also the Cardinals’ acting defensive coordinator in their 24-7 Fenway Bowl win against Cincinnati, a game in which they held the Bearcats to just 138 yards of total offense.”

“Obviously he’s in a slightly different role, because he’s the linebackers coach now. But Ivey’s always going to bring energy no matter where he is. He’s always going to get you right.” Gillotte said. “That’s something, for my 2 years with him, I relied on. He’s just a great person and you can feed off his energy.”

Strong hands, nimble feet

It takes strength to be a successful offensive lineman. But it also takes nimble footwork and agility.

The Cardinals’ All-ACC center Bryan Hudson developed both assets as a 2-sport athlete competing in both football and track and field. The 6-5, 305-pound redshirt senior also throws the shot put and discus for Louisville’s track and field team.

“There’s a big correlation between the 2 sports,” Hudson said. “The big thing is the footwork. In track and field, especially in shot put and discus, you have to find a way to throw a 16-pound ball as far as you can just within a 7-and-a-half-foot circle. Having that footwork, the balance, being able to kind of build on your athleticism and it’s very technique-oriented, just like the O-line play and on the football side of it.”

Hudson has seen action at all 3 line positions at Louisville. He played a team-leading 852 snaps last year while recording 53 knockdown blocks. 

He’s just as proficient on the track, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in both of his events and recording the 2nd-longest shot put toss in school history His throw of 63-feet, 9.5 inches as a senior at Scott County High School in Georgetown, Ky., is still a Class 3A state record.

“It all starts from the ground up,” Hudson said. “Just being able to have that explosiveness from the hips and just being able to hit the right positions and have that leverage on the ball just like offensive line you need leverage on the D-line and the defensive opponent.

“So the 2 definitely go hand in hand. Track and field has helped me tremendously, especially early on in development and even right now with football.”

Game-by-game predictions

Week 1: vs. Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (W)

Brohm and his team get thrown right into ACC play in their opening game together against a Georgia Tech team that finished last season with momentum. But the Yellow Jackets have just as many questions as the Cardinals. And Louisville returns a better defense.

Week 2: vs. Murray State (W)

A glorified scrimmage that will make for a successful home debut for Louisville’s new coach. The Racers went 2-9 last season with lopsided losses to Lindenwood, Austin Peay and UT Martin.

Week 3: vs. Indiana at Indianapolis (W)

Brohm knows the Hoosiers well. They’re Purdue’s primary rival and he went 4-1 against them when he was with the Boilermakers with 1 meeting canceled because of COVID. The only loss came in double overtime. Brohm’s teams won the 2 most recent renewals of the Bucket Game by a combined margin of 74-23. This should be more of the same.

Week 4: vs. Boston College (W)

Another ACC game in which the Cardinals’ sack-happy, turnover-producing defense should help make things easier on quarterback Jack Plummer and his still-developing offense. Louisville’s returning players should have plenty of motivation after squandering a late lead and losing to the Eagles a year ago. 

Week 5: at NC State (L)

Brohm couldn’t have asked for a better start to his debut season at his alma mater. But now comes the meat of the Cardinals’ schedule. Carter-Finley is a tough place to play under any circumstances. But on a Thursday night, on national TV, with a rowdy crowd sufficiently lubed up from a full day of tailgating? Good luck. Just ask Lamar Jackson.

Week 6: Notre Dame (L)

Louisville sacked Sam Hartman 8 times, intercepted him 3 times — including 2 for touchdowns — and forced 3 fumbles while with Wake Forest last season. Hartman will have a much better, much bigger, much more physical offensive line in front of him when he returns to L&N Stadium wearing a different gold helmet this year.

Week 7: at Pittsburgh (L)

After getting beaten down physically by Notre Dame, the Cardinals have to go on the road to take on another smash-mouth team. Pat Narduzzi’s Panthers are the kind of team that can run the ball right down an opposing team’s throat. If quarterback Phil Jurkovec is still healthy and in the lineup by Game 7, they’ll be even more dangerous.

Week 8: Open

Week 9: vs. Duke (L)

The Blue Devils will present a different kind of challenge with their faster-paced, balanced attack. But that doesn’t mean it will be any easier trying to contain Riley Leonard and all the offensive weapons at his disposal.

Week 10: vs. Virginia Tech (W)

The schedule lightens up again with back-to-back home games against the soft underbelly of the ACC. AKA: The Virginia teams. The Hokies will be improved on offense but won’t be able to keep up with a Cardinals’ passing game that will have found its identity and rhythm by this time.

Week 11: vs. Virginia (W)

The Cavaliers have even less offensive firepower than the Hokies.

Week 12: at Miami (W)

The Hurricanes are a tough team to figure. Coach Mario Cristobal has almost completely retooled his roster after last year’s 5-7 disappointment and figures to make progress in Year 2. And they are at home. But in a case where the talent on both teams is relatively equal, as this battle for the inaugural Howard Schnellenberger Trophy is, coaching usually makes the difference. Advantage, Brohm.

Week 13: vs. Kentucky (L)

Devin Leary threw for 317 yards and 4 touchdowns the last time he faced the Cardinals in 2021. He was with NC State then. He’ll have SEC talent surrounding him when he returns with Kentucky. The Wildcats’ recent domination of the Governor’s Cup rivalry continues as they notch their 5th consecutive win in the series.

2023 projection: 7-5 (5-3)

#GoCards

The arrival of a new coach and staff usually means that the program is in for a complete rebuild. That’s not the case with Brohm and the Cardinals. He inherited a bowl team that brings back a solid defense and has added a large haul of transfers to restock the offense. 

Because of the talent on the roster and the anticipation surrounding his return to his alma mater, Brohm won’t have the luxury of an extended grace period.

Expectations are high. 

And Brohm understands that the honeymoon will only last as long as he leads his team to victories, just as he did when he was a player.

“I think there’s more pressure,” he said. “When you’re invested in something, there’s a lot of people that are depending on you to get it done. And while they hold you in high regard now, we’ll see how they hold you if things aren’t going in the right direction.

“You need to win, you need to make them happy. You need to figure out things quickly so you can get that thing going in the right direction as fast as you can.”

The clock is ticking.