2009 Louisville Football Positional Preview: Offensive Line

For the 2009 Louisville football Cardinals to have success, it all hinges on the play of the big hogs up front. Offensive line coach Brent Myers has a tall task ahead of him this season, not so much because of lack of talent, but because of a lack of experienced talent. It looks like Louisville will have the numbers on the offensive line, but it remains to be seen how productive those numbers can be. However, the biggest concern will be replacing four year starter and multiple time All-Big East center Eric Wood. That task falls on the very wide shoulders of redshirt freshman Mario Benavides.

Benavides is a 6-4 290 lb monster from Los Fresnos, Texas who spent his entire redshirt season essentially following Eric Wood around the football complex. Benavides learned everything from blocking techniques to how to watch film from Wood and as been touted by Wood himself as the right man for the job. Coach Steve Kragthorpe has described Benavides as a class act off the field and a dirtbag on the field. While all reviews for Mario have been positive, he still has not played a single down of college football. Therefore, it remains to be seen if Benavides lives up to his hype.

Benavides is the man set to fill the shoes of Wood

At the guard positions, it appears only junior Mark Wetterer has a lock on his position. Wetterer, 6-5 310 lbs, started six games in 2008, but missed the rest of the season due to knee surgery. Wetterer has size and experience, and will need to stay healthy for the Cardinals offensive line to be productive. The rest of the offensive line is still TBD, but the remaining contenders all have ability.

It appears the strongest contenders for the remaining three offensive line spots are Greg Tomczyk, Abdul Kuyateh, Jeff Adams, and Joe Evinger. Tomczyk, 6-6 300 lbs, made six starts in 2008 between guard and tackle. He has good athleticism and is capable of playing both in 2009. Kuyateh, 6-2 305 lbs, started all twelve games last season and was hot and cold. It seemed he would rotate between playing good and bad games. Consistency from Kuyateh will go a long way towards determining the success of this squad. Jeff Adams is an absolute huge human at 6-8 305 lbs. The junior from Cadiz, Kentucky started each contest in 2008 at tackle and was one of the more consistent performers on the line.

However, the guy with the most potential out of the offensive linemen might just be Joe Evinger. Evinger, 6-6 330 lbs, was a 4-star JUCO recruit originally from Brazil, Indiana. He is a beast and possesses great skills for an offensive lineman. Most people around the program believe he will eventually be a starting lineman, it’s just a matter of when. Evinger just arrived on campus a few days ago and his conditioning is not yet know. However, much like all other people around Louisville’s program, I believe once his conditioning is ready, Evinger will get on the field and stay there.

Big Joe Evinger is being counted on to have a big year for the Cardinals

I expect the Cardinals to eventually be okay on the line. The Cardinals have enough guys with experience there and as long as they do not sustain multiple injuries I think the line will be just fine. I suspect Benavides to struggle at times early, but by the time Big East plays commences I think he’ll have a good idea of how to play the center position. Between Wetterer, Tomczyk, Adams, Evinger, and Kuyateh I think the guard and tackle positions to be shored up. But as we all know, the offensive line is a very physical position to play and injuries do occur. Good luck, possibly as much as good play, will be a determining factor in the play of the big guys up front.