Louisville Getting Fierce Competition From Defensive Line in Fall Camp

Like most position groups for the Louisville football program, the defensive line was hit hard by natural roster attrition following the end of the 2024 season.

For starters, All-American edge rusher Ashton Gillotte is now in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs after getting selected in the third round of this past April's draft. Then guys like Jared Dawson (Notre Dame), Woo Spencer (SMU) and Mason Reiger (Wisconsin) hit the transfer portal; while several others like Dezmond Tell and Ramon Puryear simply ran out of eligibility.

But fast forward to fall camp in preparation of the upcoming 2025 season, and the defensive line for the Cardinals is actually in a good spot. Sure, there might not be a bona fide alpha in the room like there was with Gillotte. But between the guys who did return and the newcomers brought in by UofL by both the portal and high school ranks, simply deciding who gets to run with the first team has not been an easy task for the coaches.

"It's a daily competition," defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Mark Hagen said. "I told our guys from the outset, there's nobody good enough in this room to just show up and think that they've got the job for the rest of season. You got to bring it every day. ... We've got guys that are maybe technically number two right now, but they're close. They're on these guys heels. Competition is a coach's best friend."

Part of the reason why the competition across the line has been so good so far in fall camp (and in spring ball as well), is because the defensive staff, especially Hagen, has been preaching to their guys to have "violent" mindset. Considering the defense as a whole was a big let down last offseason, getting guys to change their mindset (on top of fixing communications issues) was step No. 1.

"I feel like as a defense, period, you got to be able to play violent," defensive end Wesley Bailey said. "Whether that's communicating, or aggressive. When you strike first against the pulling guard or receiver, whatever it is, you always have to play violent. Making sure guys are communicating, being physical, getting to the ball, and just having a violent mindset when you're on the field.

Like last season with the defensive line, Louisville seems to be the most deep on the edges. In fact, Hagen went as far to say that he believes that he has six player who could potentially be starters at the bookends on the line.

Without a doubt, the fiercest competition on the defensive line right now has been the one between Clev Lubin and Adonijah "A.J." Green at LEO - which is the defensive end/linebacker hybrid spot.

Coming from Coastal Carolina, Lubin was Louisville's top defensive addition via the portal in this cycle. His 12.0 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks not only led the Chanticleers, but were fourth and third, respectively, in the Sun Belt. He also collected 44 total tackles (24 solo), three pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

However, it's actually been Green who has earned the bulk of the first team reps during the course of spring ball and the early goings of fall camp. While he only logged 12 tackles (eight solo), three for loss and a sack last season, he has been generating some sleeper buzz for the 2026 NFL Draft due to how good he was in that relatively small sample size from 2024.

"It seems like every day in camp so far, I was going back and forth (on who to put with the ones)," Hagen said of the battle between Lubin and Green. "It's providing good competition. They both want to be out there with the ones, and they're both responding the right way."

Hagen is also high on the long term future for a few other players at the LEO position. He tabbed Eric Hazzard as the swing guy at the position and that he is "big enough and strong enough," but that he also has "a long ways to go technique wise." Maurice Davis has a high ceiling but is coming off of a broken foot, and blue chip true freshman C.J. May is healthy but "not nearly big enough and strong enough right now" to be an every-down pass rusher.

At the true defensive end spot on the other side of the line, one guy has certainly stood out over the others. Wesley Bailey was added from Rutgers via the winter transfer window, and has had stranglehold on first team reps across spring ball and fall camp. It's not without merit, as he's logged 14 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, six pass breakups and four fumble recoveries over the last three years of his college career with the Scarlet Knights.

Like at LEO, Hagen likes the guys behind Bailey at defensive end as well. Transfer Justin Beadles is coming off of a respectable 2024 season at New Mexico State, while homegrown St. Xavier product Micah Carter continues to make offseason strides.

"I think (Wesley Bailey)'s come in and continued where he was, made a smooth transition," Hagen said. "But when you lose a guy like Ashton Gillotte and then a guy behind him like Ramon (Puryear), it's a big void. But he's come in and really solidified that. I'm real happy with the two guys kind of behind him right now: Micah Carter, who had a good spring for us, and then Justin Beatles, who we added in the summertime. I think those guys are battling. I like all three of those guys over there."

The middle of the defensive line might not be quite as deep as the edges, but there is some very good potential here. This is primarily because of position continuity, as both Rene Konga and Jordan Guerad are running it back.

Konga's 20 tackles, three for loss and 2.5 sacks might not stand out to some, but this was more than his four years at Rutgers combined, not to mention that he spent a good chunk of the second half of the 2024 season hurt. Guerad couldn't get on the field until the second half of the season because of injury, and was still able to collect four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 22 tackles overall.

Then there's spring windor transfer newcomers Denzel Lowry (Old Dominion) and Jerry Lawson (Abilene Christian - FCS). Lawson has been cross-training some as an edge, but Lowry is without a doubt the third guy in the defensive tackle rotation, finishing the 2024 season with 51 tackles, three for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

In fact, Lowry's actually earned a good amount of first team reps in fall camp, with Konga running with the twos.

"(Lowry) is tough. He is physical," Hagen said. "Jordan and Rene know that they just can't have a bad day. They can't just wake up and feel like, 'Well, I'm just going to get through today,' because Denzel is going to get in there."

Put it all together, and it's no surprise as to why the level play on the defensive front has been so high in fall camp. It also helps that, while a good chunk of Louisville's production on the line from last season is gone, it has helped breed newfound opportunities for those who are still on the roster.

"I think the hunger coming in and the opportunities, the guys see that 'Oh shoot, they lost half their room,' which we did after that Sun Bowl," Hagen said. "I just think the opportunity to take it to another level. Not just an opportunity to play, but and opportunity to play at a place like Louisville, where Jeff Brown has got this place operating at a high level. and could play on a team that potentially can compete for a championship."