LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As the start of the 2024 college football season draws closer, The Louisville Report will be breaking down each position on the Cardinals roster, and in the next installment of our position analysis series, we will be looking at wide receiver.
Wide Receiver (X)
- Jacory Brooks (6-3, 195, R-Sr.)
- Jaedon Thompson (6-2, 190, Sr.)
- JoJo Stone (5-11, 180, Fr.)
Slot receiver (Y)
- Colin Lacy (5-10, 190, Sr.)
- Cataulas Hicks (5-10, 180, right-handed, Fr.)
- Jahlil McClain (5-11, 180, R-Fr.)
Wide Receiver (Z)
- Chris Bell (6-2, 220, Jr.)
- Jimmy Callaway (6-0, 190, R-Jr.)
- Antonio Meeks (6-1, 195, Jr.)
- Shawn Boykins Jr. (6-1, 190, Fr.)
Many expected Louisville to produce a lot of points with a versatile passing attack in head coach Jeff Brohm's first season last year. This has been the way it has been since Brohm took over as head coach at Western Kentucky, and it wasn't a bold assumption to assume this trend would continue given the efforts of his staff in the transfer portal leading up to the 2023 season.
That's not to say Louisville's passing attack was “bad,” per se, but it was certainly a bit disappointing (pun intended) given what most people expected it to be. The Cardinals finished the season averaging 236.6 passing yards per game and 22 total touchdowns, ranking 56th and 62nd in the FBS, respectively. Additionally, both marks were the worst over a full season in Brohm's head coaching career.
Part of that is because quarterback Jack Plummer had an up-and-down performance all season, and Louisville had very few pass-catching tight ends until the final few games of the season, but it's also because most of the Cardinals' wide receiver corps didn't live up to expectations.
The only player at the position who had any semblance of credibility last season was Georgia State transfer Jamari Thrash, who was drafted in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns in April and is now playing in the NFL, where he recorded 63 catches for 858 yards and six touchdowns despite being significantly hampered by hand and wrist injuries.
The problem, though, was that no other receivers on the roster were able to establish themselves as a consistent WR2 while Slash was injured. No other player at the position recorded more than 30 receptions, only one other wide receiver topped 400 yards, and only one other player scored more than two touchdowns. The position as a whole struggled to create separation at times, especially in the second half of the season, and poorly timed drops were also an issue.
So while there wasn't as much wide receiver transfer as there was last offseason, there was some upheaval at the position. Thrash is now in the NFL, Kevin Coleman Jr. (Mississippi State) and Amari Huggins-Bruce (South Carolina) have transferred, and Louisville lost three of its top four wide receivers in receptions, yards and touchdowns.
With that being said, there are reasons to believe Louisville's wide receiver position can bounce back overall and be one of the best teams in the ACC.
The slot receiver isn't typically the focal point of a passing attack, but Louisville's top pass catcher is right there in the middle heading into 2024. Korin Lacy, who transferred to the Cardinals after four years at South Alabama, was one of the most prolific and consistent receivers in college football last season, catching 91 passes for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, good for eighth in the FBS in receptions and seventh in yards.
Louisville's roster lists him as 5'10″, but from what we've seen of him in spring games, he might be an inch or two shorter than that. But what he lacks in height, he makes up for in every other aspect. He has a great release off the line of scrimmage, is a good route runner and has some underrated speed. Distance should never be an issue for Lacy, and judging by his production in spring games, his skill set should be more than adequate in the ACC.
Alabama transfer Jacory Brooks will line up on the outside and should provide a strong one-two receiver punch with Lacy. Although he was limited to just three catches for 30 yards last season due to a shoulder injury, he has proven to be a valuable asset in the past. In 2022, Brooks had 39 catches for 674 yards and a team-best eight touchdowns for the Crimson Tide.
Watching Brooks in the spring, it was easy to see the five-star prospect he was. He's one of the most athletic receivers on the team, as well as being one of the tallest and longest. Combine that with good all-around fundamentals (which comes with spending the first three years of your career under Nick Saban) and he has the potential to thrive in the ACC.
While Lacy and Brooks are the obvious two main weapons at the position, the front-runner to take the third starting wide receiver spot is Chris Bell, who took a big step forward last season, finishing second on the team behind Thrash with 29 catches and 407 yards.
Watching him this spring, it's clear he's just getting better and better. He was by far the most physical receiver on the team and his ability to make the catch through contact was very good. Additionally, his route running and overall explosiveness have improved dramatically. It'll be hard to take targets away from Lacy and Brooks, but Bell could have a breakout season.
Behind the starters at the position, Louisville has a solid nucleus of wide receivers coming off the bench.
Jadon Thompson could be a reliable backup this season. The Cincinnati transfer was a rising star in his final season with the Bearcats in 2022, but a string of injuries in the offseason prevented him from really hitting his stride in 2023. He finished with 12 catches for 135 yards and one score in 2023.
But he was fully healthy for the first time in his offseason with Louisville this spring, and he took advantage. He was one of the most consistent receivers in the spring game and made some notable plays during each open practice. Look for him to take a step forward in his role.
One player who could have a real breakout season is Cataurus “Blue” Hicks. He redshirted last season as a true freshman, but this spring he showed off his explosiveness and overall athleticism quite often. In fact, his best play of the spring game came when he blew past a defensive back for a long touchdown.
Antonio Meeks will continue to be a player to watch. He recorded 43 receptions for 745 yards and five touchdowns in just eight games, records at the Tuskegee University Division II level. He looked good in the spring, but time will tell if he can truly make the transition to the ACC.
Jimmy Callaway is coming off his best collegiate season, recording 20 receptions for 242 yards, more than he had in his previous three seasons at Tennessee combined. That said, he caught just 55.9% of his 34 passes, a team-low, and had three drops. He looked much more composed in the spring than he did in 2023, but he'll need to build on that to have a meaningful role in 2024.
Behind Louisville's starters and reserves are three young receivers.
Jahlil McClain didn't play in a game last season, but there were some plays in the spring where Louisville used his open-field speed. It's unclear what role he'll have this season, but fall camp could play a big role in determining that and his future.
Joseph “JoJo” Stone Jr. is one of two true freshman wide receivers at Louisville who arrived on campus as an early enrollee in the spring. He'll need to continue to develop as a downfield threat and route runner, but the four-star prospect is electric with the ball in his hands and has been used in a variety of ways this spring.
Shawn Boykins Jr. is another freshman who signed with Louisville as a wide receiver, but was not an early enrollee. The local three-star prospect has a good mix of intangibles from both the outside and inside receiver positions, but like Stone, he needs to develop further as a downfield threat. He's a prime candidate to redshirt.
The wild card at the position could be walk-on Jaedon King, who played some time in spring training and even had a 62-yard touchdown in the spring, and could be a scholarship player in the fall.
Overall, on paper, Louisville's wide receiver corps looks to be in a much better place than it was at this time last season or even into 2023. There are more established options at the top of the class and a bit more depth overall at the position. It also helps that quarterback Tyler Shaw has a more established track record of successfully passing the football than Jack Plummer did when he joined Louisville and was phenomenal in the spring.
Everything will have to fall into place, but Louisville's wide receiver corps has the potential to be one of the best in the ACC.
(Photo of Jacory Brooks by Scott Utterback – The Courier Journal/USA)
For future Louisville Report coverage, like and follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .
Facebook – Louisville Report
twitter – translation:
Instagram – Louisville Report
Follow Associate Editor Matthew McGavick at Matt McGavic On Twitter
