LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Eleven members of the Louisville football program have been named to the watch list for the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl, the organization announced Wednesday.
Quarterback Tyler Shough, wide receivers Ja’Corey Brooks and Caullin Lacy, tight end Mark Redman and offensive lineman Jonathan Mendoza made up the Cardinals’ selections on the offensive side of the ball. On defense, defensive linemen Ashton Gillotte and Thor Griffith and defensive backs Tamarion McDonald, Tahveon Nicholson, Quincy Riley and Corey Thornton made the list.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl is an annual pre-draft all-star exhibition that allows some of the best senior college football players to showcase their talents in front of NFL scouts and executive staff. It will be held in Mobile, Alabama at Hancock Whitney Stadium and is scheduled for February 1, 2025.
Brooks was only able to catch three passes for 30 yards in nine games last season due to a shoulder injury, but the Alabama transfer has proven to be a valuable asset in the past. In the 2022 season, the 6’2″, 195-pound receiver caught 39 passes for 674 yards and scored the most touchdowns on the team for the Crimson Tide.
Gillotte is one of the best defensive linemen – and players – in all of college football. Gillotte started all 14 games last season and totaled 14.5 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and 45.0 tackles. He was named to the First-Team All-ACC, finished second in the ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting and was also named to the Second-Team All-American multiple times.
Griffith was one of the best defensive tackles in the entire FCS last season. The 6’2″, 315-pound Harvard transfer started all 10 games and had the team’s most tackles with 11.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He also recorded 55 total tackles, eight quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. He was named to the All-Ivy League First Team for his performance.
Lacy was one of the most productive and explosive wide receivers in all of college football last season, earning him First-Team All-Sun Belt honors. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound transfer from South Alabama caught 91 passes for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns, ranking fifth in the FBS in passes caught and sixth in yards.
McDonald was a starter at Tennessee for several years before transferring to Louisville. He started the first 10 games of the 2023 regular season before missing the final two due to injury. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound defensive back finished the game with 40 tackles (23 solo), 3.5 for loss, one sack, one interception and four pass breakups.
Mendoza was one of the Ivy League’s best offensive linemen last season, earning a first-team all-league selection. He started all 10 games for Yale – the first four at right guard and the final six at left tackle – and the 6-foot-1, 300-pound Yale transfer allowed just one sack, two quarterback hits and 11 hurries in 337 pass blocking snaps and 662 total blocking snaps.
Nicholson has been a staple in Illinois’ secondary over the past two seasons and is coming off his most productive college year. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound cornerback, who started all 12 regular-season games in 2023, recorded 36 tackles, two for loss, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Redman was one of the best tight ends in the Mountain West, being named Second-Team All-Mountain West in each of his two seasons at San Diego State. The 6-foot-6, 255-pound tight end is coming off the best season of his career, catching 37 passes for 394 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Aztecs in all three categories.
Riley, who started all 14 games for Louisville last year, finished the 2023 season with a team-high 12 pass defenses and was second on the Cardinals with three interceptions. He led the ACC in pass defense with 15. Despite also recording 49 tackles and 1.5 yards for loss, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound defensive back was voted only an honorable mention All-ACC selection.
Although Shough has battled several injuries throughout his career, the Texas Tech/Oregon transfer has more than proven himself to be a capable quarterback when healthy. In 26 career games, the 6’5″, 220-pound signal caller has completed 63.2 percent of his throws for 4,625 yards and 36 touchdowns with 17 interceptions, as well as 714 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
Thornton is coming off his best season as a college safety. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound cornerback and UCF transfer caught three interceptions and recorded nine pass defenses while totaling 27 tackles.
(Photo by Ja’Corey Brooks: Scott Utterback – Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:
Facebook- @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X- @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram- @louisvilleonsi
You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at: @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X
