BOZICH | 5 ACC Kickoff items to excite Louisville football fans | Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WDRB) -- Five takeaways from the appearance by University of Louisville football head coach Scott Satterfield and players Malik Cunningham, Caleb Chandler and Yasir Abdullah at ACC Kickoff at the Westin Hotel Wednesday.

1. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE $HOE$

Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham is doing well in the world of Name/Image/Likeness.

How well?

Cunningham earned multiple votes as the best-dressed athlete with a dazzling red suit, a multi-layered diamond necklace that flashed the initial "M," and a bright red pair of $900 Prada sneakers.

"I take pride in fashion," Cunningham said. "I feel like I look good. ... The shoes definitely makes the fit. It was a no-brainer. I had to get these."

Cunningham declined to say how many NIL deals he has secured or how much he expects to earn this year. But Cunningham did say if he had another year of eligibility (he does not) that he is convinced that he would earn at least seven figures ($1 million) in 2023.

Cunningham said he purchased the suit several weeks ago at Men’s Wearhouse in Louisville but bought the shoes in Atlanta.

He said they were more comfortable than a pair of Air Jordans but less comfortable than a pair of Yeezy sneakers, which are made by Adidas, the sports apparel company that outfits the Cardinals.

2. DISRESPECT, PART I

Cunningham said that he has two go-to people that he calls or texts whenever he has questions: his mother and his good friend Lamar Jackson, the U of L quarterback who preceded him by winning a Heisman Trophy.

On Wednesday morning, before he started his media responsibilities, Cunningham said that he called his mother, Stacey Skanes, a long-time second-grade teacher. He said that she advised him to project confidence.

He certainly did that, but like most athletes, Cunningham is fueled more by criticism than praise. He admitted that he played with a chip on his shoulder.

"Oh, yeah, for sure," he said. "There’s a lot that goes through my head and my mind about the season. Not just this season but every season. For this season, I’ve just got to put it all together."

Considering all the positive recognition Cunningham has earned, I asked him what created the chip.

"I don’t really get into the media and things like that," he said. "I try to stay away from that. But every now and then, some of my friends and family members send me some."

Is it a chip about the Cards trying to get back to their winning ways after back-to-back losing seasons?

"Yes, sir," Cunningham said. "Like I said, the whole city we have a chip on our shoulders so nobody counts us out.

"They swear the team up the street is that much better than us, and we’re going to show that they’re not this year."

For the record, Louisville lost to Kentucky, 52-21, last season and the Cards have been outscored by the Wildcats, 153-44, in Cunningham’s last three cracks against the Wildcats.

This year the game will be played Nov. 26 — up the street.

3. DEFENSE WINS

Nobody in the Cardinals’ delegation needed to say a word to deliver one message the program is eager to make: Louisville must improve on defense to celebrate its first winning season since 2019.

Check the cover of the program’s media guide: It does not feature Cunningham or Chandler, the guy who has earned the most preseason praise from the college football yearbooks.

The only guy pictured on the front cover is Abdullah, a senior linebacker.

The five players on the back cover are Abdullah, safety Kenderick Duncan, linebacker Monty Montgomery, defensive end Yaya Diaby and cornerback Kei’Trel Clark.

"It’s fine," Chandler said. "I’m just happy my boys are getting the recognition they deserve."

"I think we’ve had a lot of focus on our offense the last few years and deservedly so," Satterfield said.

"But this year, I think the defense can be a bright spot for the core of our team. I think our defense is going to be sharper, and we all know that defense wins championships. So we’ve got to be good on that side of the ball."

4. DISRESPECT, PART II

Phil Steele has given the Cardinals more respect than two other preseason magazines that I checked.

Steele picked U of L to finish tied for third with Wake Forest in the ACC Atlantic Division. That is several spots ahead of where the Cards were picked by Lindy’s and Athlon. Steele also ranked U of L 33rd in the nation, two spots ahead of Kentucky.

But ... when Steele identified the top four quarterbacks in the league, he started with Tyler Van Dyke of Miami. His second pick was Devin Leary of North Carolina State. Third was Sam Hartman of Wake Forest. Fourth was Brennan Armstrong of Virginia.

Chandler, U of L’s top offensive lineman as well as a first-team all-league pick, noticed the absence of his quarterback.

"I tell him how upset I’d be for him because he deserves it," Chandler said. "But he says not to worry about it because we’re going to get ours at the end of the day."

5. WHAT MATTERS MOST

A year ago, most of the narrative around Cunningham was about his need to eliminate his turnovers, especially his 12 interceptions.

He did that. In 2021, Cunningham cut his interceptions in half while throwing 337 passes, 33 more than he threw in 2020. He also led the ACC in rushing touchdowns with 20 while crackling for 1,034 yards.

But his best answer of the day came what I asked him what he wanted most this season:

"Ten wins," Cunningham said. "For sure.

"Just being consistent. That’s been the biggest thing that Coach Satt has been preaching to me."