LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The countdown to kickoff has begun in earnest for the University of Louisville football program, with less than 100 days until the Cardinals open the 2024 season against Austin Peay at L&N Stadium. But not only is real college football on the horizon, its virtual brethren are about to make a spectacular return.
EA Sports announced earlier this month College Football 25, The highly anticipated college football video game is set to release later this summer on July 19th, more than a decade after its predecessor. NCAA Football 14, Freed.
Legal issues over name, image and likeness had shelved the series for 11 years, but the NIL era of college sports has brought the popular title back to life. While we don't know who Louisville may or may not have played in the game, over 10,000 FBS players are set to appear in the game with their real names and likenesses.
So, with that in mind, who will be Louisville's top rated player on release day? The Louisville Report decided to try and predict who the Cardinals' top 10 rated players will be.
Predictive evaluation: 84 OVR
Consistent success in college football's top conference certainly earns a high rating, and that's certainly the case for McDonald, who was a multi-year starter at Tennessee before moving to Louisville, and could be a factor in his strong spring training program with the Cardinals.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound defensive back is coming off his best collegiate season, recording 40 tackles (23 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and four pass breakups in 10 games last season.
Predictive evaluation: 85 OVR
on the other hand, Madden NFL While there are X-factor abilities in the series, Perry has been Louisville's real-world X-factor since arriving on campus, and his versatility, whether in coverage or against the run, certainly translates to the virtual world.
Like McDonald, Perry, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker/safety, is coming off the best year of his career in 2023. He started all 14 games last season and recorded 53 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups and one sack, all career highs.
Predictive evaluation: 85 OVR
Shaw certainly has the athleticism to be rated highly. He has both a cannon-like arm and the threat to play with his legs, making him a potentially underrated dual-threat option. What about his durability rating? Well… it's probably not very high — at least for now.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound playmaker spent the first three seasons of his career at Oregon and the next three at Texas Tech. In 26 career games, Shaw has completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 4,625 yards and 36 touchdowns with 17 interceptions while also throwing for 714 yards and 10 scores on the ground.
Predictive evaluation: 86 OVR
Brooks would likely be rated higher if he hadn't been so limited by a shoulder injury last year — after all, former five-star prospects tend to be given the benefit of the doubt in games like this, especially when they perform well on the biggest stages.
In 2022, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound receiver had 39 receptions for 674 yards and a team-best eight touchdowns at Alabama. As a true freshman in 2021, he made a game-tying 28-yard catch in the final minute of the Iron Bowl to keep the Tide's College Football Playoff hopes alive and then ran in a 44-yard score in the CFP semifinal win over Cincinnati.
Predictive evaluation: 87 OVR
Whether it be in pass protection or run blocking, Gonzalez has been a standout lineman for Louisville since his freshman year, and with Brian Hudson now in the NFL, Gonzalez has earned the title of Cardinals' best offensive lineman and Louisville fans will likely find him running down the left wing more often than not.
According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-4, 305-pound left guard earned himself the highest grade of any Louisville pass blocker with a 77.9 grade and was second only to Hudson in run blocking with a 67.3 grade. He allowed just 14 pressures in 926 snaps across 14 starts.
Predictive evaluation: 89 OVR
Quinn is a guy I use on defense. When it comes to breakout seasons, no one on that Louisville team had more of a role than Quinn. He was the anchor of a linebacker corps that performed much better than expected and was an impactful playmaker against the run all season.
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound inside linebacker, who started all 14 games, was Louisville's all-time leader in tackles in 2023. Not only did his 92 total tackles lead the team, but they were 18 more than second-place finishers. Quinn also recorded 2.5 tackles for loss, half a sack, two pass breakups and one interception.
Predictive evaluation: 89 OVR
It will be interesting to see how FCS transfers are rated, but either way, Griffith should be highly rated. He was one of the most highly-anticipated transfers this cycle, and for good reason. Not only was he an FCS All-American out of Harvard, but his phenomenal athleticism despite his size deserved a very real buzz for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Griffith started all 10 games for Harvard and recorded a team-high 11.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks while also recording 55 tackles, eight quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. His defensive grade of 89.3 was the second-highest among defensive tackles in the FCS, according to Pro Football Focus.
Predictive evaluation: 90 OVR
When in doubt, throw a pass on an under-route: A slot receiver like Lacy has been one of the most productive receivers in college football over the past two seasons and will certainly be used more frequently online, especially after showcasing his incredible separation abilities in the spring game.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound receiver caught 91 passes for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns at South Alabama last season, ranking fifth in the FBS in receptions and sixth in yards. He was named to the All-Sun Belt first team for his performance.
Predictive evaluation: 91 OVR
If I were playing Louisville, I simply wouldn't throw the pass to Riley's side of the field. He's established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the ACC and looks set to take another step forward in 2024.
The 6-foot-0, 195-pound defensive back finished the 2023 season with a team-high 11 pass breakups, was second on the Cardinals in interceptions with three and led the ACC in passes defensed with 14. But he also recorded 49 tackles and 1.5 for a loss in the process, yet only earned All-ACC honorable mention.
Predictive evaluation: 94 OVR
There was never any question who would be No. 1. Girotto is not only Louisville's best player, he's one of the best players in all of college football. His freakish motor, strength and overall power will surely make him a nightmare to deal with on both the virtual and real gridiron in 2024.
Starting all 14 games this season, the 6-foot-3, 270-pound star edge rusher has recorded 14.5 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and 45.0 total tackles. He leads the ACC in sacks, ranks eighth in the FBS and currently ninth in Louisville history for single-season sacks. He was named First Team All-ACC, was runner-up in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting and was a multiple-time Second Team All-American nominee.
(Photo by Ashton Gillott: Scott Utterback – The Courier Journal/USA)
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