Louisville football returns key pieces: Here are 5 players to watch during spring practice

The sting of ending the season on a three-game losing streak hasn’t left Louisville football.

The Cardinals’ successful first year with Jeff Brohm as the head coach ended on a sour note after losing the Governor’s Cup, ACC championship game and Holiday Bowl. But the squad is using the defeats as fuel heading into 2024.

“A lot of miscues (in the bowl game) that we’ve got (to) improve on as coaches that I think that we’ve identified already,” Brohm said in February. “We’ve got to make sure that we have a better plan and give our players a better chance to succeed. But in that way, yes, you’ve got to use it as fuel. It was not the way we wanted to end (the season), and that’s football. You’ve got to, without question, work harder, and we’ve got to put a better plan together.”

The spring football game is set for one month after the Cardinals’ spring practice schedule, which starts on March 19. Major contributors are back for the Cardinals even if they lost a few crucial players. The transfer portal and 2024 recruiting class helped the spots that required starters and depth.

Ashton Gillotte, DL

Though given the opportunity to begin his professional career, Ashton Gillotte opted to come back to Louisville to increase his NFL draft stock. He was one of the driving forces behind the defense’s dominance last fall. Gillotte led the team in sacks (11) and tackles for loss (14 ½). He played multiple spots on the defensive line and refamiliarized himself with a position he played in high school. Gillotte can use the spring to continue that process, offering veteran leadership to a deep defensive line group as a senior.

TJ Quinn, LB

Louisville Cardinals linebacker TJ Quinn (34) holds the ball after making an interception against Virginia Tech as the Cards rolled past the Hokies 34-3 Saturday. Nov.4, 2023.

Any doubts over Louisville’s linebacker group going into the 2023 campaign were swiftly dispelled by TJ Quinn. He gained a starting position and developed into one of the defense unit’s top players. With the eighth-best defensive grade among returning players (66.6), TJ finished the season as the team’s top tackler (92) and frequently drew comparisons to his father Terry, a former Cardinal and Brohm’s colleague. He’ll probably make more of an impression in 2024 and use spring training to get ready for his redshirt junior season.