Photo by: Matthew Mueller | Louisville Athletics
Spring Practice Report - March 27
March 28, 2025 | Football
Defensive Line Coach Mark Hagen
On replacing Ashton and other seniors
It's a big challenge. I mean, you get so used to those guys just day in and day out. Not only were they excellent football players, but outstanding leaders, and they were great role models, you know, put another guy like Dez Tell. Those three guys, again, it's just, it's hard to the impact that they left is measurable, and they're big holes to fill. But again, that's college football. So it's about our young guys, you know, coming on and getting better. And then with the portal, you know, you've got some hungry guys that have better than different levels, but we feel like we've got some really nice additions there. So I've seen a lot of guys emerge.
You know, I mentioned, Wes Bailey and Micah Carter. I think Michael Carter has played his best football so far that he's been here, really starting to flash, do some good things. Selah Brown, you know, a guy who tore his Achilles a year ago was coming back and had been very, very productive for so I could go on and on. You know, I mentioned those two guys, and Maurice Davis started to flash. CJ May, a new guy that's, I think, got an outstanding future. Eric Hazzard today is a guy that was showing up making some nice plays. So I know that there's a lot of guys, but that's what we kind of as part of our DNA here. We want to get a lot of guys ready to play, and I think we're on the right track.
On losing a number of guys
Yeah. I mean, very, very, very pleased, you know. And then there's guys I haven't mentioned, Saddiq Clements is playing his best football, you know, so far. So pleased. You know, I don't want to jinx us right now. I think every day you want to go out there with a competitive spirit, and there's nothing that's in stone. Not too toot my horn, but I've rolled, a lot of different guys in there. It's not the same guys, you know, with the ones or twos every day. I think we're able to mix and match and do some different things and get some different combinations, and that's allowed guys to get go out there and compete and keeping everybody on their toes. I thought I didn't like yesterday's practice. Again, typically helmet practices, you know, you're always going to find a lot, you know, nit pick on I thought our guys responded in a big way today. I just saw a lot of competition out there, So those guys are going to hit their plays now and then. But I thought we were getting after it up front, again we just got to make steady progress, day to day.
Rene Konga
I think with the guys we have, what we need is usually me and joy to do our best to push the young guys and make sure the young guys can push us. We arw accountable so everybody can succeed.
Jordan Guerad
Like Rene said, every young guys that's doing a good job just learning to play, both executing the plays on top of that, the newcomers, they picking up the playbook too.
Rene Konga
I mean, for instance, we see Bailey. who was at Rutgers. I knew what he was about. I mean, I have to talk to him certain ways, a hard worker. Cleve (Lubin) and Denzel Lowry), they're absolutely good players. That is the reason coach Hagan got them come to with us, that's gonna be fun with them this year. So I think just like making it seem like a home.Â
On replacing Ashton and other seniors
It's a big challenge. I mean, you get so used to those guys just day in and day out. Not only were they excellent football players, but outstanding leaders, and they were great role models, you know, put another guy like Dez Tell. Those three guys, again, it's just, it's hard to the impact that they left is measurable, and they're big holes to fill. But again, that's college football. So it's about our young guys, you know, coming on and getting better. And then with the portal, you know, you've got some hungry guys that have better than different levels, but we feel like we've got some really nice additions there. So I've seen a lot of guys emerge.
You know, I mentioned, Wes Bailey and Micah Carter. I think Michael Carter has played his best football so far that he's been here, really starting to flash, do some good things. Selah Brown, you know, a guy who tore his Achilles a year ago was coming back and had been very, very productive for so I could go on and on. You know, I mentioned those two guys, and Maurice Davis started to flash. CJ May, a new guy that's, I think, got an outstanding future. Eric Hazzard today is a guy that was showing up making some nice plays. So I know that there's a lot of guys, but that's what we kind of as part of our DNA here. We want to get a lot of guys ready to play, and I think we're on the right track.
On losing a number of guys
Yeah. I mean, very, very, very pleased, you know. And then there's guys I haven't mentioned, Saddiq Clements is playing his best football, you know, so far. So pleased. You know, I don't want to jinx us right now. I think every day you want to go out there with a competitive spirit, and there's nothing that's in stone. Not too toot my horn, but I've rolled, a lot of different guys in there. It's not the same guys, you know, with the ones or twos every day. I think we're able to mix and match and do some different things and get some different combinations, and that's allowed guys to get go out there and compete and keeping everybody on their toes. I thought I didn't like yesterday's practice. Again, typically helmet practices, you know, you're always going to find a lot, you know, nit pick on I thought our guys responded in a big way today. I just saw a lot of competition out there, So those guys are going to hit their plays now and then. But I thought we were getting after it up front, again we just got to make steady progress, day to day.
Rene Konga
I think with the guys we have, what we need is usually me and joy to do our best to push the young guys and make sure the young guys can push us. We arw accountable so everybody can succeed.
Jordan Guerad
Like Rene said, every young guys that's doing a good job just learning to play, both executing the plays on top of that, the newcomers, they picking up the playbook too.
Rene Konga
I mean, for instance, we see Bailey. who was at Rutgers. I knew what he was about. I mean, I have to talk to him certain ways, a hard worker. Cleve (Lubin) and Denzel Lowry), they're absolutely good players. That is the reason coach Hagan got them come to with us, that's gonna be fun with them this year. So I think just like making it seem like a home.Â
Players Mentioned
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