LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The hot rumor that broke out late Wednesday was that former Louisville wideout Ahmari Huggins-Bruce is dissatisfied at South Carolina and could wind up back with the Cardinals, with whom he was previously dissatisfied.
The rumor, first shared by Jeff Lightsy Jr., is not without basis. Huggins-Bruce has missed the last two practices in Columbia. Asked about him after practice Wednesday, South Carolina's offensive coordinator deferred questions to the head coach.
Whether it will come to fruition, who knows? What it says about Louisville football and Jeff Brohm's estimation of his offense, however, is of more interest than whether a receiver who had 20 catches (four for touchdowns) a year ago decides he wants to spend another year in Louisville after not wanting to spend another year here. He had one catch for seven yards in Louisville's Holiday Bowl loss to USC and entered the transfer portal a day later.
Louisville suffered an offensive blow last weekend when Caullin Lacy, the top transfer wideout in the country, injured his collarbone and will be sidelined for at least six weeks. Brohm himself has expressed some dissatisfaction with his offense, saying he needs more playmakers to develop.
"For some reason, we're not throwing the ball well and making plays," Brohm said after a scrimmage last Saturday. "The running game has to pick us up. For some reason, they're stoning us and they're loading the box. So we've got to be good enough to pass the ball. That's not all on the players. It's coaching, too. You have to have a plan for looks you get that give your players an opportunity to do the best against the look and not just call plays to call plays. There has to be a rhyme and a reason. It has to be the ability to get from one to the other quickly so that you put yourself in a better chance to make plays. I think it was total blame by myself, all the way down where things need to be planned more strategically to give our players a chance."
I hear talk like that and generally take it with a considerable grain of salt. Some coaches use that kind of talk as motivation. You could always hear that kind of thing and hold out hope that the defense is being the kind of dominant unit that Brohm wants.
But if Louisville is, indeed, considering taking Huggins-Bruce back into the fold, it's an indicator that Brohm means exactly what he's been saying where his offense is concerned.
I didn't stay for every minute of every practice. I did stay long enough to see that the receiver corps needed a bit of work. But that's what preseason practices are for. And a couple of early season games to open the year that Louisville should win.
Brohm has time to get this offense into shape. And he's been really good at getting offenses into shape. In general, I came away with the feeling that this group of wideouts was probably deeper than last season's group, but no one I saw impressed me the way Jamari Thrash did. So, perhaps its ceiling isn't as high.
But that's a quick judgment off very few practices, and may not be fair at all. It certainly doesn't compare to any judgement that Brohm or his staff could make.
Huggins-Bruce represents a guy who knows the system and who could step in and contribute right away. If a coach has a chance to add that guy – even a week before the season begins – most would take it.
But few would deem him THE answer if there's a problem at wide receiver. But maybe he could be part of an answer.
Regardless, he's a good example of a guy enhancing his reputation merely by leaving the team. Had he just stayed, there wouldn't be near this much interest in him in Louisville. I don't see any indication that he was a key part of South Carolina's plan as it prepares to open the season – which includes a Week 2 trip to Kentucky.
Of more concern is that already, there seems to be a cooling of expectations in Louisville. The Cardinals were not nationally ranked in either preseason poll, though they were the No. 26 vote getter in the AP poll.
I would only say this: I'm leery of drawing any conclusions, or even sticking my finger out into the wind, if the only information we have comes from within the program. Nobody much has laid eyes on this team for a couple of weeks.
And it's important to note that Brohm, in his comments last weekend, pointed the finger at himself, saying, essentially, that he and his staff have to adjust to their offensive reality and craft an attack around it that can be effective. Brohm has built a career around doing just that.
As for the receivers, he said, "I think at times, some of our receivers have looked really well and played well, and at times, our tight ends have stepped up and done well, but it's got to be consistent. Certain guys are consistent, others need to just be consistent more. So that's important. We had our worst day, you know. It's not a great day by (quarterback) Tyler (Shough). But he didn't get a ton of help. We had some turnovers. ...It's a good wake up call for us."
Whether Huggins-Bruce gets a call, we'll find out soon enough. And Brohm will update the offensive progress again soon enough.
In a little more than a week, the answers will be on display.
Louisville Football Coverage:
- Louisville football loses top WR Caullin Lacy for 'extended period' with injury
- BOZICH | Is it time to be alarmed by Jeff Brohm's concerns about Louisville's offense?
- BOZICH | Can Louisville offensive line keep Tyler Shough at QB for more than 7 games?
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