LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The widest smile University of Louisville linebacker T.J. Quinn flashed in a recent interview came when the subject turned to hitting. After it was suggested that that the redshirt junior from Valdosta, Ga., had earned the reputation of someone who can land a punishing blow, his eyes lit up. And he didn’t disagree.
“If you hit somebody hard,” he said. “They’re going to feel that. And then that next play, they’re going to be worried about you and not even thinking about what they’ve got to do. And I feel like, once you get into your opponent’s head, you’ve done knocked them off their game.”
So Quinn, you could say, can be fairly described as The One Who Knocks. You get the feeling he enjoys the subject, and not just talking about it.
“That’s always been the type of player I am, a hard-hitting player,” Quinn said.
But as a sophomore in 2023, he didn’t just knock on the door, he crashed through it. He led a surprisingly stout Louisville defense (fourth in the ACC at season’s end) with 87 tackles. Not bad for a guy who was figured as a role player heading into the campaign.
TJ Quinn looks at the offense before the snap in a victory over Indiana in 2024.
Quinn started fast with a half-dozen tackles and a pass break-up in a win over Georgia Tech. Then, along with Stanquan Clark, made the goal-line hit that saved the win in a tight victory over Indiana in Indianapolis.
That play sent his confidence soaring, and set him on his way to a breakout season.
“It also made my teammates believe in me more,” Quinn said. “Because you know, when things get on the line – and it was basically the game on that play -- when you do things like that, it definitely boosts your confidence. And then I’m like, ‘OK, yeah, I can do this all the time.’”
Pretty soon, Louisville’s entire defense was thinking along similar lines. Not expected to be a strength heading into the season, Louisville’s defense actually became a weapon. It held opponents scoreless in the first quarter of every regular season game.
It ranked 10th nationally against the run and 21st nationally in total defense. Quinn followed up his early season success with 11 tackles in a close win at N.C. State and 10 in an upset of No. 10 Notre Dame at home. He had 11 tackles in a loss at Pittsburgh and a dozen in Louisville’s loss to Florida State in the ACC Championship game.
As the season wore on, he played his best on the biggest stages.
“When those big lights come on, you want to perform,” he said. “And I had, you know, a chip on my shoulder all season just because some people were saying they didn’t know our linebackers would perform.”
Quinn’s play at Louisville has been reminiscent of another Quinn, his father Terry, who played at Louisville from 1991 to ’94, overlapping some of Jeff Brohm’s time at the school.
TJ Quinn (center) celebrates with teammates after an interception against Virginia Tech.
When it came time to pick a college, TJ Quinn wasn’t wary of playing in his father’s shadow. He had played for him in high school and has enjoyed following him at Louisville.
“It’s been great, you know, trying to carry that legacy on and have people say that I'm better than him,” Quinn said, laughing. “But, you know, a lot of people can't say that they played at the same school that their Dad played at. So I know it feels good to him, when he comes back and sees some of his former teammates and they talk about me. Some people might not want to do that, might want to get out of that shadow. But I've always been around my dad with him being my coach. And, you know, I just felt like it meant more for me come to the school.”
And not just come – but stay. After a breakout season, opportunities always abound. Quinn, however, did not jump into the portal.
“I feel like Louisville just means more to me, just because of what brought me here,” Quinn said. “And I feel like if I would have (transferred) to another school I know it wouldn't have been the same feeling. Some people they come and play for the school, like we just talked about earlier, with my dad playing here, it just means more to me to want to take Louisville back to that next level.”
Quinn earned honorable mention All-ACC honors last season. But his offseason work this year has differed little from what he did a year ago. He tried to put those honors – and expectations – out of his mind, and keep his focus on the little things that got him better to start with.
One of those, according to linebackers coach Mark Ivey said, was being able to play the next play, regardless of whether the previous play was good or bad.
“He would make a mistake and not harp on it,” Ivey said. “A guy that hadn’t started or played a ton, if he did something wrong he didn’t shut it down. He came to the sideline, took the information from the top or from coaches, and went back and made the corrections. I thought that was a really mature thing. . . . He’s really knowledgeable. When you ask a question, he’s the first one to spit things out. He’s gotten more vocal, but I’d like to hear him from the sideline, to have the confidence to be that verbal. And he is.”
Quinn said that next-play mentality comes from playing so many years for his father. So if you ask him how he and the Louisville defense can improve for the coming season, the answer will be no surprise.
“One play at a time. One game at a time,” Quinn said.
In his spare time, Quinn likes to get out with some teammates and go bass fishing. He’s working on an internship for his major in Computer Information Systems with Thorntons in Louisville.
If you’re looking to sum up Quinn – no answer does it better than one he gave when asked how he was able to go from just another name on the depth chart to leading the team in tackles last season.
His answer, paraphrased: Because it was my job.
“In going through that defense last year, I feel like the linebackers – either one of them – should be the leader in tackles,” Quinn said. “Whenever I’m on the field, I like to make plays. I feel like I’m a playmaker. And in that position you get the opportunity to make them, so that’s what I do.”
Quinn says Louisville’s defense in the coming season, “can be as good as we want to be.”
He, meanwhile, is looking to be as good as he can be – for his teammates, his family, and himself.
“I feel like my motivation has just always been my family,” he said. “I’m going to go hard for them. But also, just for myself, you know? I feel like I'm just internally motivated. I really don't have to have somebody push me to want to do good things.”
Expect Quinn to keep on knocking.
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