Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics
Satterfield, Cardinals Continue to Produce Deep Wide Receiver Groups
March 15, 2021 | Football
University of Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield knows how to develop talent, including the depth he has built at the wide receiver positon since his arrival in 2019.
They're generally built and developed over the course of years of recruiting before the receivers arrive on campus and then countless hours of meticulous preparation when they do arrive.
The Satterfield era's receiving success may very well be defined by how the Cardinals react in 2021 to the loss of Dez Fitzpatrick and Tutu Atwell, both of whom have a chance to play on Sundays come fall.
The duo accounted for more than half of the Cardinals' receiving production last season, and the competition to fill those roles has understandably been heated, said UofL receivers coach Gunter Brewer.
"Every day, iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another," Brewer said. "The competition factor of it, they know now that we don't have Tutu and we don't have Dez. So I remind them of that, for the fact that they can be that guy."
One member of the receivers room getting a look at the X receiver position last held by Fitzpatrick is Justin Marshall, a rangy ball-hawk who would make a natural replacement with his 6-foot-3 stature
Marshall caught seven passes for 87 yards last season and earned three starts due to the attention he demands from opposing defenses due to his size and length.
"It's nice that Justin Marshall is having a really good spring," Brewer said. "He's playing X for us and trying to fill some of those shoes that Dez (Fitzpatrick) obviously did a great job with, and guys before him."
As for replacing Atwell, Shai Werts, a converted quarterback and graduate transfer from Georgia Southern, might just be the stop-gap answer that the Cardinals were looking for.
Werts served as a triple-threat option for the Eagles has emerged as a serious contender to earn the starting job at the Z receiver position, generally a slot position reserved from smaller, speedier receivers.
His connections to the Cardinals' current coaching staff aren't insignificant: Brewer himself recruiting Werts while coaching at UNC, and Satterfield coached against the enigmatic, do-it-all offensive star while at Appalachian State, making him a natural fit in the Louisville locker room.
"It's good to be on (Satterfield's) side here," Werts said. "He's a good dude. The recruiting process when we were talking, it was good to just finally see a different side of him. He recruited me out of high school, but for so long I was going against him, and now he tried to get me to come play for his school. It was pretty cool."
But the competition to fill the void left by Atwell's absence is far from a one-horse race. Brewer also pointed to sophomore Braden Smith as a potential option for the spot.
Smith emerged as one of Cunningham's favorite options throughout the 2020 season, and he ended up catching 27 passes for 370 yards.
Brewer also mentioned freshmen Jordan Watkins (who caught 8 passes for 57 yards and rushed for a 23-yard touchdown last season) and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce as potential contenders for the spot.
The only certainty about who is going to replace Fitzpatrick and Atwell next season is that there is no certainty. Brewer has made a conscious effort to foster healthy competition in the receivers room, and whoever coaches believe give the Cardinals the best shot to win will see the field come September.
"No one has anything on lockdown," Brewer said. "So let's compete and make each other better, and we'll be deeper as a room. We just won't have those guys that have that experienced, that electrifying ability. We're going to do it as a group."
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They're generally built and developed over the course of years of recruiting before the receivers arrive on campus and then countless hours of meticulous preparation when they do arrive.
The Satterfield era's receiving success may very well be defined by how the Cardinals react in 2021 to the loss of Dez Fitzpatrick and Tutu Atwell, both of whom have a chance to play on Sundays come fall.
The duo accounted for more than half of the Cardinals' receiving production last season, and the competition to fill those roles has understandably been heated, said UofL receivers coach Gunter Brewer.
"Every day, iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another," Brewer said. "The competition factor of it, they know now that we don't have Tutu and we don't have Dez. So I remind them of that, for the fact that they can be that guy."
One member of the receivers room getting a look at the X receiver position last held by Fitzpatrick is Justin Marshall, a rangy ball-hawk who would make a natural replacement with his 6-foot-3 stature
Marshall caught seven passes for 87 yards last season and earned three starts due to the attention he demands from opposing defenses due to his size and length.
"It's nice that Justin Marshall is having a really good spring," Brewer said. "He's playing X for us and trying to fill some of those shoes that Dez (Fitzpatrick) obviously did a great job with, and guys before him."
As for replacing Atwell, Shai Werts, a converted quarterback and graduate transfer from Georgia Southern, might just be the stop-gap answer that the Cardinals were looking for.
Werts served as a triple-threat option for the Eagles has emerged as a serious contender to earn the starting job at the Z receiver position, generally a slot position reserved from smaller, speedier receivers.
His connections to the Cardinals' current coaching staff aren't insignificant: Brewer himself recruiting Werts while coaching at UNC, and Satterfield coached against the enigmatic, do-it-all offensive star while at Appalachian State, making him a natural fit in the Louisville locker room.
"It's good to be on (Satterfield's) side here," Werts said. "He's a good dude. The recruiting process when we were talking, it was good to just finally see a different side of him. He recruited me out of high school, but for so long I was going against him, and now he tried to get me to come play for his school. It was pretty cool."
But the competition to fill the void left by Atwell's absence is far from a one-horse race. Brewer also pointed to sophomore Braden Smith as a potential option for the spot.
Smith emerged as one of Cunningham's favorite options throughout the 2020 season, and he ended up catching 27 passes for 370 yards.
Brewer also mentioned freshmen Jordan Watkins (who caught 8 passes for 57 yards and rushed for a 23-yard touchdown last season) and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce as potential contenders for the spot.
The only certainty about who is going to replace Fitzpatrick and Atwell next season is that there is no certainty. Brewer has made a conscious effort to foster healthy competition in the receivers room, and whoever coaches believe give the Cardinals the best shot to win will see the field come September.
"No one has anything on lockdown," Brewer said. "So let's compete and make each other better, and we'll be deeper as a room. We just won't have those guys that have that experienced, that electrifying ability. We're going to do it as a group."
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