Louisville football recruiting: 4-star safety CJ Avery picks Cards

CJ Avery, one of the top secondary prospects in the recruiting class of 2017, picked Louisville over Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss during a ceremony at his high school Wednesday evening.

Thankful. #L1C4 #GoCards ⚫️ pic.twitter.com/drCOvJDu8H

— Cj Avery 9️⃣ (@Averyy_Sports) December 15, 2016

A consensus 4-star recruit, Avery is rated as the 8th-best safety in the country by ESPN, and is the 228th overall best player in the class according to 247 Sports. He was the first recruit that Bobby Petrino and his staff paid a visit to following the end of the regular season.

Avery finished his senior season with 61 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He also played quarterback for Grenada (Miss.) High, tossing 633 yards and 10 touchdowns while also rushing for 438 yards and five touchdowns on 63 carries.

Louisville already had a 2017 recruiting class that ranked in the top 25 of every network that had recently updated their rankings. With this commitment, and the commitment of 4-star OL Ronald Rudd from earlier in the week, it's a safe bet that the Cards will climb even higher in the coming days.

Here's Avery in action: