5 Louisville football players who can boost their NFL draft stock in Holiday Bowl vs. USC
To play or not to play, that is the question.
With college football bowl season underway, players are making decisions about their futures.
The decision to enter the NFL draft is usually synonymous with opting out of a bowl game, but there are exceptions. Louisville safety Cam Kelly declared for the draft but is scheduled to play in the Holiday Bowl against Southern California on Dec. 27 at Petco Park in San Diego.
Others, including Cardinals running back Jawhar Jordan and receiver Jamari Thrash, will not play as they prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft. The Trojans will be without 2022 Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, receiver Brenden Rice — the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, a former high school teammate of Jordan’s and USC’s touchdown receptions leader — and leading rusher MarShawn Lloyd.
U of L defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte announced Dec. 14 that he would return to Louisville, giving himself another year to prepare for the next level.
For the Cardinals who are out of eligibility or weighing their options, the Holiday Bowl is an opportunity to close the season on a high note after Louisville lost back-to-back games.
“This game, in my opinion, is an important game to show what you can do and go out there and play a really good football game,” Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm said. “A lot of these guys will play at a senior bowl or an East-West Shrine (Bowl), so there's more football to be played. … Without question, you're gonna have a few top draft picks that may opt out for obvious reasons, but there's others that want to improve their stock. You definitely can in a bowl game against good competition when you're the only game on TV. So, I think that easily can happen with a lot of guys on our team.”
Here are five Cardinals who can use the bowl game to help their NFL draft stock:
Jack Plummer, QB
Jack Plummer came to Louisville as a sixth-year player and became the team’s starter mainly because of his experience playing for Brohm at Purdue. The Arizona native has three 300-yard passing games this season, totaling 3,063 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Plummer struggled with consistency, though. He was intercepted at least once in each of the first three games and was picked off in each of the last four games, totaling 12 interceptions.
The 2024 NFL Draft is quarterback-heavy with Williams (USC), Drake Maye (North Carolina) and Heisman winner Jayden Daniels (LSU). Plummer needs to have a strong showing in the Holiday Bowl to earn an invitation to the senior bowls.
Isaac Guerendo, RB
Largely underrated for most of his career, Isaac Guerendo capitalized on Jordan being limited late in the season. The Wisconsin transfer is a bigger back and showed his speed and ability to run through tackles. Guerendo was the Cardinals’ second-leading rusher (649 yards and eight touchdowns on 109 carries in 13 games) despite being listed as third string behind Maurice Turner.
One of Guerendo’s best performances was a career-best 146-yard, three-touchdown showing against Virginia Tech. With Jordan opting out of the bowl game, Guerendo will have a chance to take more snaps and add to his highlight reel.
Jermayne Lole, DL
Once hailed as the best interior defensive lineman in the Pac-12 and a top NFL prospect, Jermayne Lole couldn’t stay on the field, sustaining injuries in 2021 and 2022. He rehabbed during the spring and got healthier as the 2023 season went on. He started in seven of 11 games played, becoming the team’s full-time starter at defensive tackle during Week 9 against Duke. He has 16 tackles, including five for loss, to go along with 1 ½ sacks in 342 snaps.
Because he played in only two games last season, Lole could apply for a medical hardship waiver and return to Louisville next season. If he decides not to exercise that option, Lole could use a solid Holiday Bowl performance to improve his draft stock.
Jarvis Brownlee, CB
Jarvis Brownlee graduated from Louisville on Dec. 16. Though he has another year of eligibility, Brownlee posted “Love y’all card nation” on X, formerly known as Twitter, the day after he graduated.
In his second season as a Cardinal, Brownlee had the third-best coverage grade on the team (78.5) and gave up 17 receptions, two of which were touchdowns, out of 34 targets this season. He finished with 28 tackles, one for loss, five pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Brownlee was limited to eight starts in 10 games played and saw his time on the field decrease after injuring his foot against Pitt. Having almost a month between the ACC championship game and the Holiday Bowl gives Brownlee, who reportedly has not been invited to any senior bowls, time to prepare for USC. He is listed as the No. 30 draft-eligible cornerback.
Quincy Riley, CB
Quincy Riley was the only defensive back to start every game for the Cardinals this season and often was on an island in coverage. Of the 779 snaps Riley played, receivers he defended were targeted 56 times. He gave up 21 receptions and a touchdown. Riley had two interceptions, eight pass breakups, 45 tackles and the team’s second-best coverage grade (81.4).
Riley is 22nd among draft-eligible cornerbacks. Like Brownlee, he graduated from Louisville over the weekend and could return next season. It’s unlikely, though, because he already has accepted an invitation to the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Getting two more games under his belt could help Riley increase his draft stock, Corners Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama) and Nate Wiggins (Clemson) are among other top NFL candidates.
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: NFL draft 2024: Louisville football players to watch in Holiday Bowl
