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Multiple seasons of hard work as Cardinal walk-ons have paid off for a pair of Louisville players who learned this week that they have been awarded scholarships for the 2015-16 season.
Proud to say going into my 4th season here at UofL that I've earned a full athletic scholarship. Hard work pays off. #Grind
— Griffin Uhl (@GriffinUhl) August 21, 2015
Blessed to say I have officially signed my Scholarship with UofL #Sept5
— Dontez Byrd (@_SpeedyByrd) August 20, 2015
Griffin Uhl made national headlines in 2012 for being an athletic freak who wanted to play major college football despite not playing the sport at the high school level because the school didn't have a team. Despite wowing coaches at a number of camps, Uhl never wound up receiving a college scholarship (not playing high school football makes for a pretty difficult sell), but was told by the staff at U of L that he could join the team as a preferred walk-on. He accepted the offer.
After redshirting the 2012 season, Uhl saw action early on as a redshirt freshman in 2013 before injuries kept him off the field. A season ago, Uhl saw game action against Murray State, NC State, and Georgia. With Lamar Atkins' move to linebacker, Uhl now finds himself as the only true fullback on the U of L roster (LJ Scott is also expected to play the position), which means you can expect to see much more of the now scholarship athlete on the field this fall.
A product of Ballard High School, Byrd appeared in every game as a redshirt freshman last season, but was mostly used on special teams. He has been right in the thick of the crowded depth chart battle at wide receiver this summer, and is a safe bet to see the field more at that position this season.
Congrats to both guys on their much-deserved accomplishments.