CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WDRB) -- When Tyler Shough started playing college football as a freshman at Oregon back in the fall of 2018, nobody much knew what a Zoom call was. There was no such thing as NIL. There was still such a thing as the Pac-12, and Shough played in it, waiting his turn behind a guy named Justin Herbert.
"I was riding my bike in the 30-degree weather and rain in Eugene," Shough said at ACC Media Day on Wednesday. "I could barely afford Chipotle."
He's doing a little better today. Louisville coach Jeff Brohm has placed his (legal) bet on Shough (pronounced "Shuck") turning in a full and healthy season for the Cardinals. Even Shough’s one-year-old golden retriever puppy had an NIL deal with a dog daycare in Lubbock, Texas, when he played for Texas Tech last season.
If it starts to feel like Shough has been everywhere and knows everybody, you’re not far off.
The novelty of being a seventh-year college player is not lost on Shough, a whatever-class-you-want-to-call him quarterback for the University of Louisville. (For the record, he’s working on a second Masters’ Degree.)
It wasn’t his plan. He was going to take the quick route through college like his friends. He played youth league baseball with Brock Purdy. He was childhood friends with Jack Plummer, who quarterbacked the Cardinals last season. Another teammate, Cole Bellenger, is the younger brother of Cody, now with the Chicago Cubs. His high school running back was Jawhar Jordan, who was drafted after two good seasons with Louisville.
But Shough’s road to the next level was paved with freak occurrences. A worldwide pandemic. A broken collarbone in 2021, which he re-injured in 2022. Last season, he broke his fibula. The medical waivers and COVID year mean that Shough knows his way around a college campus.
He also knows something about injuries. He said he’s encouraged that the injuries he has suffered have not been normal-use injuries for quarterbacks, but "freak things" that he can still put behind him. He also said he’s far better able, having missed parts of the past three seasons, to handle things mentally.
"The first time I broke my collarbone, it was just, 'What is going on?'" he said. "We were undefeated at the time. It's like, 'Why me?' It's just a bad mental place to be in. You need to understand what's happening, that you needed to learn this lesson, that things aren't just given to you, and that this is making you a better person. And as you continue to go through tribulations, you can impact others around you and grow personally. You know, football isn't the end-all, say-all. We'll probably be done with this in a few years, hopefully a decade plus, but you still have the rest of your life, and how do you develop the connections within that community, in Texas and Louisville and within the ACC? That's kind of what I really enjoy, is growing relationships, within the coaching realm and continuing playing. I have hundreds of teammates and coaches I can call on if I ever need something, and vice versa. So that's been the greatest part of this whole process."
Shough working on a second Masters Degree. He got married in the spring. As much as college football is a different game than it used to be, he’s a far different player.
Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough talks to reporters at ACC Media Day in Charlotte, N.C.
"It's great. I'm not a 19-year-old kid going home to play the game for three hours and see what we're going to go do tonight," he said. "I treat it as if I'm working. I show up at 6 a.m. or earlier and I don't leave till 6 p.m. or later, depending on what we're doing, because it is a job and I'm treating it as if I'm a professional, because we're getting to that point, with coaching comms, and how everything is going. My wife is completely understanding of that and I couldn't do it without her. I'm going home and we're going on walks with our dog and talking about our day, what TV show we're going to watch tonight, who we hate on 'Love Island,' what are we going to make for dinner? I have a lot more fun than wasting away hours on video games or not watching film. It's kind of changed my perspective on things."
He said he chose Louisville because of his respect for Jeff Brohm and his brother, quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm.
"They’ve seen the game through a facemask," Shough said. "They know how to coach the position and make you better."
He also knew about Plummer’s experience at Louisville last season.
Brohm is hoping that a 100% healthy Shough, along with some additions at wideout, can bring back the deep threat that was missing in the second half of last season. He has talked several times about the "vertical passing game," and says Shough is a good fit for that.
"I think the ability to strike quickly and score points quickly is critical," Brohm said. "We're happy to have Tyler. He's an experienced quarterback, has played a lot of football. He's gone through adversity. He's handled it well. He's had some injuries, some ups and downs. But a lot of times when you're battle tested, he knows he has one year left and he wants to make it work and he's done a great job this offseason leading our football team and getting better. He’s learned our offense and I expect him to have a great year."
Shough has been in Louisville all year. He’s seen the sights. He went to the Derby, has been on some bourbon tours and was at the PGA Championship. If you want a restaurant recommendation, he can probably give you one.
He can also name his receiving corps backwards and forwards and can tell you what he likes about each.
He's also aware that if he could have a great season and get into an NFL camp, just an opportunity, it would be a story worthy of Hollywood.
"I think it can definitely be an inspiration for people trying to make it there and hopefully I can make it and let them know that they can make it too if they stay the course and understand that everything is on God's time and it's going to happen for a reason," Shough said. "As soon as you try and take control of the reins and try and drive the ship, you're going to get steered sideways and you're going to have to reset. I think that's the greatest thing, to try to persevere through all things and how you react to those situations."
Seven seasons later, Shough has learned his lessons, and is hoping to reap the rewards.
Louisville Football Coverage:
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- Louisville's Quincy Riley hoping the little things pay off in a big way
- 7 questions with Jeff Brohm at ACC Football Kickoff
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