Three offensive linemen have decided to leave the University of Louisville just about 3 months before the first game of the season. Abraham “Nacho” Garcia, Cameron Fraser, and Chandler Bridges are all leaving Louisville according to our guys over at thecrunchzone.com. Also according to them, Cameron Fraser may be headed to Youngstown State to join Kenny Carter, former UofL running backs coach.
Garcia, listed at 6’5 and 347 lbs from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was a four-star prospect on ESPN.com coming out of high school. He started in two games last season and played in seven before injuring his knee and sitting out the rest of the season.
Fraser redshirted last season as a freshman. He is from Phenix City, Alabama and was rated as the 4th best offensive lineman in the state of Alabama coming out of high school.
Bridges also redshirted last season as a freshman. He is from Flowery Branch, Georgia and was a three-star recruit on ESPN.com coming out of high school.
It isn’t clear just yet what the reasons are for these guys leaving. There are always many different things it could be. With a new coaching staff, there is the possibility that they didn’t mesh well with the new coaches. Maybe it was about playing time, although probably not in Garcia’s case. Could just be one of those things where you say “Bobby Petrino isn’t for everybody” and move on.
Bobby Petrino’s offense requires athletic, quick linemen. Even big Kurt Quarterman got to line up at FB for Bobby and ran for 4 touchdowns. These guys don’t fit the mold Bobby wants, and they were told their best chances to play were going to be elsewhere. Nacho could be great if he’d lose 40lbs, but I just don’t see that ever happening.