Louisville Football Recruiting: Linebacker Tadarrius Patterson Commits

Louisville's attention on the state of Alabama continues to pay dividends in recruiting. Linebacker Tadarrius Patterson (6'2, 228) committed to the Cardinals Wednesday morning. He is the fifth commitment for Louisville for the class of 2017. Patterson revealed to Scout.com that he had actually been committed to Louisville all the way back at the Louisville spring football game in April. You can watch a highlight video of Patterson's junior season below:

Patterson is a composite three-star linebacker prospect according to 247Sports' rating system. He's ranked the #45 prospect in the state of Alabama in a year that many consider to be especially deep. Patterson participated in camps across the southeast but was a very early target for Louisville. He picked the Cardinals over listed offers from SEC schools like Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Kentucky, as well as Virginia Tech and California.

The state of Alabama has been a consistent focus in recruiting for the Petrino staff since his return to Louisville. Patterson joins dual-threat quarterback Malik Cunningham as commitments from Alabama for the 2017 class. In 2016, Louisville signed safety PJ Blue, defensive lineman Caleb Tillman, and tight end Austin Cummins. In 2015 Louisville brought in Dee Smith, who might be Louisville's starting Nickelback this year, linebacker Amonte Caban, receiver and electric kick returner Traveon Samuel, and Kenny Thomas who was a starter at offensive tackle as a true freshman for much of last season.

Most importantly, this now gives Louisville linebackers named Tadarrius Patterson and Tabarius Peterson.