By John Evanko
Many students have expressed their concerns about University of Louisville football head coach Steve Kragthorpe returning for a third season. However, many are wondering if Kragthorpe staying is the reason why players are leaving?
Last week, Louisville became two less Cardinals as sophomore safety Latarrius Thomas and redshirt freshman Matt Simms announced they’d be transferring from U of L but unclear where they will end up.
Thomas said he had become uncomfortable at Louisville and wanted to follow former defensive coordinator Ron English to Eastern Michigan. When he found out he wouldn’t be granted a release to that school, his second choice was to play at Arkansas under former Cardinals’ coach Bobby Petrino.
Thomas told The Courier-Journal he “hasn’t been completely happy [in Louisville] and the best thing for me would be to leave Louisville.” English’s departure had an influence on Thomas’ decision to leave.
Thomas is also looking into transferring to Florida State. Kragthorpe said he would grant a release for Thomas to the Seminoles.
Just a couple days earlier, Kragthorpe announced that quarterback Simms will transfer from the program also.
“I wish him nothing but the best in all his future endeavors,” Kragthorpe said.
Simms, a redshirt freshman from New Jersey, was backup quarterback behind senior Hunter Cantwell this season. He saw action in two games, completing four of his 10 passes for 39 yards, and an interception.
One thing that may have been a factor in Simms’ decision was Kragthorpe’s signing of junior college quarterback Adam Froman.
Before this signing, Simms was likely to get first shot at replacing Cantwell. After the holidays, he returned to Louisville and worked out with the team for a few days before making his decision to transfer.
“I was really surprised when I heard Simms was transferring. I thought he was going to be our starting quarterback next year,” Mitch Streufert, freshman sports administration major, said.
Simms, the son of Superbowl-winner Phil Simms and younger brother of NFL quarterback Chris Simms, has not announced where he will transfer. However, many believe the 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback is headed for a junior college, where he would play for one season and then return to a Division 1-A school the next year.
With Simms gone, one of the most likely candidates to replace Cantwell is Santa Rose Junior College transfer Froman. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder runs a 4.46 forty and was the NorCal Offensive Player of the Year in 2008. Although he played wide receiver for Santa Rosa last season, he definitely has talent under center, completing 278 of his 449 passes for 3,842 yards in the previous season. He also threw 40 touchdowns passes with only 11 interceptions.
Juniors Justin Burke and Tyler Wolfe, and freshman Zach Stoudt will also be competing for the position.
Burke sat out for the 2008 season after transferring from NC State, while Wolfe saw action in two games this year. Wolfe completed two of his four passes for 14 yards in the two games.
Stoudt, the son of former pro quarterback Cliff Stoudt, comes from Dublin-Coffman High School in Ohio, where he completed 237 out of his 362 passes for 3,547 yards and threw 34 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. He was rated the nation’s no. 19 pro-style quarterback by Rivals.
“I think Froman will be our starter next year and Stoudt will play backup,” Chris O’shea, freshman sports administration major, said. “But if we have another quarterback step up, it would be good to use Froman’s athletic ability at wide receiver.”
