As the 9-1 Louisville Cardinals football team prepares to face rival Memphis Tigers at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium the loss of 20 seniors looms large over Coach Charlie Strong’s team. Those seniors have helped pave the way for the return of Louisville to the main stage of college football, compiling a record of 34-15 over those 4 years. Running back Senorise Perry, safety Hakeem Smith, linebacker Preston Brown, and defensive tackles Roy Philon and Brandon Dunn are big parts of a team that have won two Big East Conference titles appearing in three straight bowl games, last year demolishing a heavily favored Florida Gator team.
But the biggest loss may come in the form of junior quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who has been projected to be a first round draft pick and is simply the biggest reason for the success of the Cardinals this season. No announcement has been made but Bridgewater will almost certainly be passing up a big payday if he decides to remain in Louisville.
“I don’t know that it’s going to be his last game,” Strong said on Bridgewater. “We got time to worry about that. He’s a junior, so he shouldn’t even be concerned about that. The only thing he’s concerned about is getting ready to come back for another year and that’s the only thing we’re going to worry about with him.”