American college football season
The 2018 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Cardinals competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . They played their home games at Cardinal Stadium (previously Papa John's Cardinal Stadium) in Louisville, Kentucky . They were led by head coach Bobby Petrino until he was fired on November 11 after starting the season 2–8.[1] Lorenzo Ward was the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. They finished the season 2–10, 0–8 in ACC play to finish in last place in the Atlantic Division.
On December 4, Louisville hired Appalachian State head coach Scott Satterfield for the head coaching job.[2]
Offseason
Coaching changes
On January 13, 2018, the Cardinals announced the hiring of Ryan Beard as new safeties coach .[3] On January 29, 2018, the Cardinals announced the hiring of Brian VanGorder as new defensive coordinator , replacing former DC Peter Sirmon .[4] On February 2, 2018, the Cardinals announced the hiring of Grady Brown as defensive assistant and recruiting coordinator.[5]
On November 11 Louisville fired Bobby Petrino .
Departures
Notable departures from the 2017 squad included:
2019 NFL Draft
Cardinals who were picked in the 2019 NFL Draft:
Round
Pick
Player
Position
Team
Recruits
The Cardinals signed a total of 23 recruits.
US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Marcus Riley WR
Tallahassee, Florida
James S. Rickards High School
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
Jul 7, 2016
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Trenell Troutman S
Miami, Florida
St. Thomas Aquinas High School
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
188 lb (85 kg)
Jul 9, 2016
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Michael Boykin DE
Carrollton, Georgia
Gulf Coast State College
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
285 lb (129 kg)
May 19, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Yasir Abdullah LB
Miami, Florida
Carol City High School
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
May 28, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jordan Travis QB
West Palm Beach, Florida
The Benjamin School
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Jun 10, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jared Goldwire DT
Tacoma, Washington
Fort Scott Community College
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
280 lb (130 kg)
Jun 11, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Dejmi Dumervil-Jean DT
Lauderdale Lakes, Florida
St. Thomas Aquinas High School
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
350 lb (160 kg)
Jun 11, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Robert Hicks LB
Miami, Florida
Central High School
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
237 lb (108 kg)
Jul 4, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Thurman Geathers DE
Acworth, Georgia
North Cobb High School
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
218 lb (99 kg)
Jul 4, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Chandler Jones CB
Miami, Florida
Central High School
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
173 lb (78 kg)
Jul 27, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Telly Plummer CB
Riverdale, Georgia
Langston Hughes High School
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Jul 28, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Javian Hawkins RB
Titusville, Florida
Cocoa High School
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Aug 7, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jarrett Jackson DE
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Palm Beach Gardens Community High School
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
275 lb (125 kg)
Aug 14, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Tutu Atwell WR
Miami, Florida
Northwestern High School
5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
155 lb (70 kg)
Aug 21, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Adonis Boone OT
Daytona Beach, Florida
Mainland High School
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
285 lb (129 kg)
Sep 24, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Hassan Hall RB
Atlanta, Georgia
Maynard H. Jackson High School
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Oct 31, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Tyler Harrell WR
Miami, Florida
Columbus High School
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
Nov 6, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Nigel Kilby TE
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Garden City Community College
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
250 lb (110 kg)
Dec 10, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Allen Love DT
Birmingham, Alabama
Huffman High School
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
285 lb (129 kg)
Dec 14, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Quen Head LB
Forsyth, Georgia
Hutchinson Community College
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Dec 19, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jatavious Harris WR
Milledgeville, Georgia
Baldwin High School
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
Dec 19, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jairus Brents CB
Louisville, Kentucky
Waggener High School
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
178 lb (81 kg)
Feb 7, 2018
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Marlon Character Jr. S
Atlanta, Georgia
Northwest Mississippi Community College
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Feb 7, 2018
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
ACC media poll
The ACC media poll was released on July 24, 2018.
Media poll (Atlantic)
Predicted finish
Team
Votes (1st place)
1
Clemson
1,031 (145)
2
Florida State
789 (1)
3
NC State
712 (2)
4
Boston College
545
5
Louisville
422
6
Wake Forest
413
7
Syracuse
232
Schedule
The Cardinals' 2018 schedule consisted of 7 home games and 5 away games, including the first game of the season being played in Orlando, Florida at Camping World Stadium , a neutral-site venue.[10] The Cardinals first non-conference game was an away game, against Alabama of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), before hosting the remaining three non-conference games; against FCS opponent Indiana State from the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), Western Kentucky of Conference USA (C-USA) and against arch-rival Kentucky of the SEC.
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance September 1 8:00 p.m. vs. No. 1 Alabama * ABC L 14–51 57,280
September 8 7:00 p.m. Indiana State * ACCN Extra W 31–7 44,520
September 15 7:30 p.m. Western Kentucky * Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY ACCRSN W 20–17 54,923
September 22 12:30 p.m. at Virginia ACCRSN L 3–27 34,446
September 29 3:30 p.m. Florida State Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY ESPN2 L 24–28 52,798
7:00 p.m. Georgia Tech Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY ESPN L 31–66 51,658
October 13 12:30 p.m. at Boston College ACCRSN L 20–38 31,478
October 27 12:00 p.m. Wake Forest Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY ACCRSN L 35–56 49,603
November 3 12:00 p.m. at No. 2 Clemson ABC L 16–77 78,741
7:00 p.m. at No. 13 Syracuse ESPN2 L 23–54 42,797
November 17 12:20 p.m. NC State Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY ACCN L 10–52 48,265
November 24 7:00 p.m. No. 17 Kentucky * ESPN2 L 10–56 49,988
*Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time