# 2018 Louisville Cardinals football team

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. 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.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

On January 13, 2018, the Cardinals announced the hiring of Ryan Beard as new safeties coach. On January 29, 2018, the Cardinals announced the hiring of Brian VanGorder as new defensive coordinator, replacing former DC Peter Sirmon. On February 2, 2018, the Cardinals announced the hiring of Grady Brown as defensive assistant and recruiting coordinator.
On November 11 Louisville fired Bobby Petrino.

### Departures

Notable departures from the 2017 squad included:
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Lamar Jackson | 8 | Quarterback | 6'3" | 211 | Junior | Pompano Beach, Florida | Declared for 2018 NFL Draft |

### 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: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 10, 2018. |||||||

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Dez Fitzpatrick | WR | So. |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Jaylen Smith | WR | Sr. |
| John Mackey Award | Kemari Averett | TE | So. |
| John Mackey Award | Micky Crum | TE | Sr. |
| Lou Groza Award | Blanton Creque | K | Jr. |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Jonathan Greenard | DL | Jr. |

### 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. 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* | Camping World StadiumOrlando, FL (Camping World Kickoff) | ABC | L 14–51 | 57,280 |
| September 8 | 7:00 p.m. | Indiana State* | Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCN Extra | W 31–7 | 44,520 |
| September 15 | 7:30 p.m. | Western Kentucky* | Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCRSN | W 20–17 | 54,923 |
| September 22 | 12:30 p.m. | at Virginia | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | ACCRSN | L 3–27 | 34,446 |
| September 29 | 3:30 p.m. | Florida State | Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPN2 | L 24–28 | 52,798 |
| October 5 | 7:00 p.m. | Georgia Tech | Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPN | L 31–66 | 51,658 |
| October 13 | 12:30 p.m. | at Boston College | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ACCRSN | L 20–38 | 31,478 |
| October 27 | 12:00 p.m. | Wake Forest | Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCRSN | L 35–56 | 49,603 |
| November 3 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 2 Clemson | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | ABC | L 16–77 | 78,741 |
| November 9 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 13 Syracuse | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY | ESPN2 | L 23–54 | 42,797 |
| November 17 | 12:20 p.m. | NC State | Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCN | L 10–52 | 48,265 |
| November 24 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 17 Kentucky* | Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY (Governor's Cup) | ESPN2 | L 10–56 | 49,988 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||
* Sources:

## Game summaries
### vs Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 1 Crimson Tide | 14 | 14 | 16 | 7 | 51 |

### Indiana State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Sycamores | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 31 |

### Western Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 20 |

### At Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Cavaliers | 0 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 27 |

### Florida State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Seminoles | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 24 |

### Georgia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Yellow Jackets | 21 | 10 | 14 | 21 | 66 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 31 |

### At Boston College

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Eagles | 14 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 38 |

### Wake Forest

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Demon Deacons | 21 | 14 | 21 | 0 | 56 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 35 |

### At Clemson

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 16 |
| No. 2 Tigers | 14 | 21 | 28 | 14 | 77 |

### At Syracuse

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 23 |
| No. 13 Orange | 7 | 30 | 7 | 10 | 54 |

### NC State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolfpack | 7 | 10 | 21 | 14 | 52 |
| Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |

### Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 17 Wildcats | 14 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 56 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |