Louisville football's defensive line has depth and talent. So who will start for Cardinals?

After dominant seasons that led them to the NFL, replacing Yaya Diaby and Yasir Abdullah won't be easy. But some expect a Louisville defense that ranked among the top 5 nationally in several statistical categories last year to be even better in 2023.

A key reason for the high expectations is returning talent along the defensive line. The Cardinals are bringing back almost everyone from last season's unit and brought in several key pieces from the transfer portal and high school 2023 signing class. No place on the line will be lacking in available players.

In his first season as the Cardinals’ defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator, Mark Hagen must capitalize on that depth and get as much production as possible.

It all starts with Ashton Gillotte. With 12 starts on the line last season, he's one of three returning Cardinals with starting experience. The junior from Florida played behind behind Diaby and Abdullah and totaled 23 tackles, seven for loss, along with six sacks and two fumble recoveries to earn all-ACC honorable mention accolades.

With higher expectations this year, he’s embracing a bigger role as a leader on and off with field. Gillotte brings versatility — he can play on the edge and move around to spots that will set the defensive line up for success.

“He's a guy that can do it all,” Hagen said. “We're going to feed off his energy. We're going to feed off his physicality. Our guys are, I think collectively so far in camp, doing a really, really good job of that.”

Gillotte will start on one side of the line, and Louisville has other options for the other defensive end position.

Hagen mentioned Victoine Brown, Ryheem Craig and Penn State transfer Rodney McGraw as potential starters, with the LEO position (a defensive lineman who stands ahead of snaps) having the most depth. The Cardinals also return Kam Wilson and Popeye Williams and added experience and leadership in 2019 Trinity High School alum Stephen Herron, a Stanford transfer, and signed a player in freshman Adonijah Green that Hagen said will be hard to keep off the field.

“He doesn't play like a 230 pounder on the line of scrimmage,” Hagen said of Green, whose nickname is “Sticks” because of his tall, lanky frame. “He's got long arms. He's just a natural football player. He's got excellent instincts. I just think throughout the season, he'll continue to get better and better.”

Louisville has plenty of competition at defensive tackle as well.

Dez Tell is the lone returning full-time starter, though Ramon Puryear also has starting experience. They'll likely start again, but there are plenty of others vying for playing time — Hagen brought up names like Jared Dawson, Georgia State transfer Jeff Clark, Jermayne Lole, Tawfiq Thomas and Selah Brown, a Male High School graduate entering his sophomore season.

Lole could be an X factor. He was considered one of the best interior defensive linemen in the country by Pro Football Focus when he transferred from Arizona State in 2022, but he's struggled with injuries in his time with the Cardinals and had another setback during the spring. He's been working with the team's medical staff to get back to full strength.

“We're a different team when he's out there,” Hagen said of Lole. “He and Jared Dawson are two guys that are big, strong, 300-pound guys that are very, very explosive. Those type of guys are hard to handle.”

Hagen has a couple weeks to figure it out his rotation. The Cardinals open the season against Georgia Tech on Sept. 1 and should have plenty of depth to follow last year's dominant defensive showing.

“Our first team guys are certainly going to get more reps than our second team,” he said. “If we're equal, let's say at a couple spots, we're going to be a little bit more balanced there. But there's no perfect answer. In crunch time, you want your best guys on the field and that's what's going to happen.”

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football roster: Defensive line depth is a strength in 2023