The Cardinal Countdown: 62 Days Until Kickoff

#62 Derek Dorsey

Class: RS Freshman

Ht/Wt: 6-3/283

Position: Defensive Lineman

Hometown: Louisville, KY (Product of Manual High School)

Twitter: @DerekTDorsey

Thoughts: Dorsey, a local talent out of Manual, was the longest committed Cardinal in the 2016 class (March 2015). He actually grew up a Louisville fan and in one interview said he always wanted to play at the D-I level and was glad it worked out he could attend a school he grew up cheering for, which is pretty cool. While I always enjoy getting local kids who already have some University pride instilled in them, it just makes it that much sweeter when the young men are uber-talented like Dorsey, Wakefield, Reggie, etc.

Dorsey will look to get into the 2 man rotation on the inside of the line this year after getting a decent number of reps with the second team this past spring. After being ranked the #1 Defensive Tackle in the state and Top 10 in the state overall, I’ll be interested to see how Dorsey competes with this new level of competition. If he can crack that rotation and start getting some decent reps as a RS Freshman I’ll be extremely encouraged about his progression over the next few years. With the Senior laden front I think it will be tough to see the field this year but players like Dorsey, GG Robinson, etc HAVE to start showing signs they can take over the reins in 2018. I trust LD Scott but missing out on a few DL the last couple years have put the Cards in a tough position where some young guys are going to need to take on big roles in 2018. Getting them reps this year will be crucial in that development.

Sweet Tweet:

I try and do this at least once a year so forgive me if you’ve heard this before but big tip of the cap to all these kids, all 100+ of them on the official roster, who worked their butt off to either earn a Division-I scholarship or earn a walk-on position at a school competing for Championships. In the day to day of reading/writing/watching college football you sometimes forget that these 18-22 year olds have sacrificed quite a bit to get where they are and many have a lot riding on how they perform on a week to week basis. Appreciate the effort, appreciate the energy, and I’m glad to see you wear the jersey of the team I cheer for.

Thanks for providing me an outlet to get away from my daily struggles and get a chance to enjoy watching you compete.