LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The message from head coach Scott Satterfield on media day for the University of Louisville football team was not mixed or muddled. It was clear, and stated in multiple ways.
The short version is this: Do not expect a repeat of last season.
Yes, a good many of the faces remain the same. But assuming those players are healthy in 2022, Satterfield is banking on the results being better. The transfer portal was a more useful resource for Louisville coaches in this offseason, yielding players from higher profile programs who should help immediately.
And the attitude of the team is one of mature determination, despite some difficult times, and a December to forget in 2021.
“This offseason has been tremendous for us,” Satterfield said. “You know, we didn't end very well in December. We all understand that. We all know that. But to these guys' credit when they came back from break it's been nothing but great. And I'm talking about everybody. Our recruiting staff -- when it comes to recruiting we've had one of the better offseasons in the history of Louisville football and that's going to continue throughout this summer and fall -- and credit goes to a lot of the staff. They've done a tremendous job, and our players, when they came back their mindset was just like, 'We got to go. What is it going to take for us to get over the hump and go compete for a championship?’ And to their credit they've done that.”
Louisville football coach Scott Satterfield speaks with reporters during the team's annual media day on August 2, 2022.
In case you missed it, run back over it in highlighter (unless you’re on your phone or computer, then don’t. It’ll mess up your screen). Some of the best recruiting in the history of Louisville football.
Put a pin in that remark unless expectations aren’t quite met.
But in hearing him talk about his teams several times now over the summer, I don’t think Satterfield believes that will be a problem. He noted his team’s 18 seniors, and that just about all of them are expected to actually contribute. He talked about the impact of transfer portal players, particularly at receiver. He talked about depth.
He talked about quarterback Malik Cunningham as if he were a new man.
“I know I was told by a lot of coaches at (ACC) media days that they’ll be glad when he’s gone,” Satterfield said. “They’re tired of trying to defend him.”
And when asked how the Cardinals planned to avoid some of the kinds of close losses that hurt them last season, Satterfield did not hesitate.
“What happened last year is last year,” Satterfield said. “We're a different team. We're not the same. We’ve got new coaches. We’ve got new players, a new schedule. I mean, everything's different. There's not anything the same, but I think everybody's past experience is going to help them as they move forward. . . . for us this year, you know, it's just a renewed spirit, you know, we just have, we just have an eagerness to get out there and prove that we can go win these games.”
Louisville football coach Scott Satterfield speaks with reporters during the team's annual media day on August 2, 2022.
The work toward that will begin Wednesday morning. That’s when aspirations on paper turn to the reality of performance on the field. If Satterfield sounds like a coach with something to prove, it’s because he knows he does have something to prove. And players who spoke on Tuesday sounded the same tone.
“You look at the season coming up, there's a lot of certain teams getting a lot of hype, certain teams getting voted this, voted that,” Satterfield said. “I think, for us, our whole thing this summer is we’ve got a lot to prove as a football team, and we want to earn respect, I think for us to be able to go out and do that you, have to do it earn it on the field every day, and we’re ready to get going and excited about the 12 opportunities we have.”
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