Word broke last week, but Tuesday night U of L made it official: Four-star linebacker James Hearns will be a Cardinal this season.
LB James Hearns, from Lincoln High in Tallahassee, officially signs at Louisville; can play in 2013. Rated the No. 43 LB nationally
— LouisvilleFootball (@UofLFootball) July 2, 2013
Hearns, the No. 197 overall player in the class according to Rivals, was originally a Florida commit, but waited to become eligible before signing with any school. That eligibility came last week and Hearns wound up signing with a U of L program that he said he'd fallen in love with. He also had scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida State. LSU, Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
The news of Hearns' signing would be an enormous deal on its own, but with rumor of an injury to starting linebacker Keith Brown circulating, the addition of depth at the position has become even more paramount.
Hearns will enroll at Louisville on July 10 and will start practicing with the rest of the team at the beginning of fall camp.
Here's your newest Cardinal: