Louisville football position preview: Offensive line

Previous position previews: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end

Despite being riddled with injuries, Louisville’s offensive line was one of the best in the ACC last season. 

Last fall, the Cardinals were third in the league in rushing yards with 2,407 on a conference-leading 5.7 yards a carry. The offensive front also did a phenomenal job protecting second-round NFL Draft pick Tyler Shough, who was sacked just 15 times, third best in the ACC.

Offensive lines aren’t completely judged based on how many sacks they give up and how effective the ground game is, but for Louisville, these were all indications that the group was doing its job and then some. The Cards had a rotating starting group that lacked continuity for most of the years, and had multiple players playing at several spots. And down the stretch, the Cards went on a three-game bender, not allowing a sack. 

One of the few constants the group had last year was Northern Illinois transfer center Pete Nygra. Not only was Nygra an honorable mention All-ACC, leading the group last season, but he also gave up just one sack and 16 pressures throughout the entire season. The Indianapolis native will return to Louisville for his final season of eligibility on the interior of the Cardinals’ line. 

Also returning this upcoming season on the inside is graduate student Lance Robinson, who missed the entirety of last fall after suffering a lower leg injury on the first day of camp last fall. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Robinson started his career at Middle Tennessee and then Houston before transferring to Louisville. He should be slated to debut in the red and black at guard this upcoming season. The Mitchell County (Ga.) product started 11 games in 2022, allowing four sacks. He was at right tackle for every snap of that season, but after the injury looks to move on the inside. 

Speaking of the line’s right side, another redshirt senior, Rasheed Miller, was in and out of Louisville’s rotation last fall, dealing with a plethora of injuries, including a hand injury he sustained in the Friday night game at Boston College. Miller was playing at a high level before that injury, which he tried to play through with a club on his hand, but at tackle, that was nearly impossible. The 6-foot-7, 300-pound Georgia Southern transfer was second-team All-Sun Belt in 2023, and his massive frame combined with athleticism gives him the chance to be one of the best linemen on the team in 2025. 

Opposite of Miller, the projected left tackle, who has an awesome name by the way, appears to be Mississippi State transfer Mak Pounders. The Byhalia, Mississippi, product started seven games for the Bulldogs in 2024, six of them coming at left tackle and one at guard. He allowed four sacks on 19 pressures in 334 pass blocking snaps last year. Pounders isn’t a superstar, but at 310 pounds, he’s a hole creator in the run game and can hold his own in the pass game. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Miller get some snaps on the blindside as well as Pounders. 

For the final spot on the interior, transfers Mahamane Moussa (Purdue) and Jordan Church (FAU) are both quality options. Church, who lacks experience compared to Moussa, started all over the line at Florida Atlantic last year and has a good toolkit in which he’s comfortable at multiple positions; however, at 6-foot-4, he’s a little small to be starting on the outside in the ACC. Church is only an RS-sophomore, and after a freshman season where he started 12 games, he’s almost ready for a big jump. The other candidate, Purdue’s Moussa, played for head coach Jeff Brohm in his first two seasons with the Boilermakers and was the No. 20-ranked recruit out of Indiana in 2021. He’ll be a RS-senior and has spent significant time at both tackle and guard, including 12 starts at left guard a year ago. Purdue struggled mightily last year, but with more versatility and experience than Church, he should have the edge to round out the starting front-five. 

In terms of depth, the Cards have options. Ransom McDermott red-shirted last season as a true freshman and is the biggest player on the roster at 6-foot-8 and 305 pounds. He should see some snaps this year, but the Noblesville (Ind.) product is raw and has some things to prove on the practice field. He might be a year or two away from playing true, big-time snaps. Due to injuries, Trevonte Sylvester played 13 games at tackle last season for the Cards and started in seven of them due to injuries. He’ll be an important swing-tackle with ACC experience that could see several starts. 

Florida International transfer Naeer Jackson had a great statistical season in 2024, but fundamentally, there’s work he needs to do before seeing a large amount of snaps in the ACC. He allowed one sack last fall. This spring, Jackson looked improved, but with several years of eligibility remaining, there’s no rush to throw the 6-foot-6 guard into the fire. 

Louisville will rely on its rushing attack and short to intermediate passing game this season, which should help the line even more. They won’t have to hold blocks for long, and if their experienced interior can create holes for a pair of star running backs, Isaac Brown and Duke Watson, they could be even more productive than they were last year.  

Losing Austin Collins (Syracuse) and Monroe Mills (Virginia) in the transfer portal were significant losses, but offensive line coach Richard Owens has plenty of options this fall. Not to mention Michael Gonzalez, who graduated and started 26 games over the last two years. Gonzalez signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in May. 

The unit is still deep, and the staff filled in the holes they needed to in the transfer portal. Coming off a great year in which Owens didn’t have a lot to work with, there are encouraging signs that the Cardinals’ offensive front should be able to pick up right where they left off in 2024. 

The bottom line:

Louisville’s offensive line was one of their best units on offense last season, and despite being patchwork at times, the staff did a phenomenal job keeping the depth pieces prepared. That shouldn’t change this fall. Owens and Brohm have one of the most experienced lines in the ACC and All-Conference caliber starters in Nygra, Miller, and Pounders. Couple this with two of the best running backs in the conference, and the Cards’ front has the chance to be physically imposing and dominant. All of Louisville’s five starters very well could be redshirt seniors. 

Expected depth chart

• LT — Makylan Pounders: 6-5, 310 lbs, R-Sr. — Trevonte Sylvester: 6-6, 280 lbs, R-Sr. 
• LG — Lance Robinson: 6-4, 290 lbs, R-Sr. — Naeer Jackson: 6-6, 310 lbs, R-Jr. 
• C — Pete Nygra: 6-4, 300 lbs, R-Sr. — Victor Cutler: 6-3, 300 lbs, R-Sr. 
• RG — Mahamane Moussa: 6-4, 305 lbs, R-Sr. — Jordan Church: 6-4, 300 lbs, R-So.
• RT — Rasheed Miller: 6-7, 310 lbs, R-Sr. — Ransom McDermott: 6-8, 305 lbs, R-Fr.