The Cardinals football team has a whole new look this season, with transfers and freshmen taking the spots of graduating seniors and draftees. One of the big name transfers coming into this season was former safety Josh Harvey-Clemons, and the junior has not disappointed.
Harvey-Clemons is the co-leader in tackles for the Cardinals and the ACC, a spot he shares with teammate Keith Kelsey. Harvey-Clemons also has two interceptions, which he gained in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game against Auburn.
Head Coach Bobby Petrino likes what he sees with his new safety. “I’ve been real impressed with Josh Harvey in the secondary,” Petrino said. “That size is hard to deal with as a quarterback.”
Harvey-Clemons’ path to the University of Louisville did not come without its fair share of bumps in the road.
After being recruited to the University of Georgia as an outside linebacker, Harvey-Clemons excelled under current Louisville defensive coordinator and former Georgia DC Todd Grantham’s defense. But the end of his sophomore season was marred by multiple violations of team rules, which led Harvey-Clemons’ suspension for the 2013 Gator Bowl as well as the first three games of the next season. After a third violation of team rules, Harvey-Clemons was dismissed from the Bulldogs football team. Grantham was hired as the new Louisville DC after the 2013 season, and Harvey-Clemons followed him by transferring to the Cardinals.
After sitting out the 2014 season due to NCAA transfer laws, Harvey-Clemons was ready for his second chance. Both Petrino and Grantham have noticed a huge gain in maturity from the junior safety.
“I understood the kind of kid he was,” Grantham said. “I believe Josh is a good young man that has to work and mature to make the right decisions. The foundation was there, and he just needed to mature.”
Now three games into his first season with the Cards, Harvey-Clemons has been one of the few standouts in a struggling defense. Individuals like Harvey-Clemons and linebacker Keith Kelsey have been performing well statistically, with their conference-leading tackle numbers. But the defensive unit as a whole has not been able to keep points off the board. It is up to the transfers on defense to try and pull together the unit and figure out the flaws.
Coach Petrino and Grantham gave Harvey-Clemons a second chance, and he seems to be taking full advantage of the chance he was given. While his team has struggled to start the season, Harvey-Clemons has stood out and will only continue to excel in the 2015 season. Let’s hope that he can put the team on his back and motivate a struggling unit to turn the season around.
