It would have been great to see Teddy Bridgewater get a chance to compete in the ACC this season, especially in the same division as Clemson and Florida State, but the page has been turned at Louisville. New head coach (same as the old coach?) Bobby Petrino seems to have found a comfort level with Will Gardner, who is expected to be the starting quarterback for the Cardinals as the program moves into the ACC this fall.
“He’s a young man who is extremely coachable, very intelligent and really into it,” Petrino said in a story published by USA Today. “When you talk about dedication and commitment, Will has done all of that.”
Replacing Bridgewater is pretty much impossible, but Gardner’s job will be to keep the offense steady behind an experienced offensive line. The situation could be worse for Louisville, but having a quarterback who is preparing to be a leader in the offseason should help the program have a smoother transition under center and in moving to a new conference. Gardner’s studious attitude has caught the eye of Petrino.
“He’s a student of the game,” Petrino told USA Today. “He spends a lot of time working at it, studying other quarterbacks, studying the offense. He’s a type of player that you want to have, that you want to cheer for and do well. It’s our job as coaches to prepare him so he can go out there and perform.”
Gardner is a redshirt sophomore and is the only quarterback with any amount of significant playing experience on the roster this fall. Louisville has added juco quarterback Patrick Thomas as well as former Penn State quarterback Tyler Ferguson.