Louisville Football Early Signing Day Recap

Louisville’s football staff had their first full early signing day class this week and the results were solid. The staff added players from each position outside of running back and they are on their way to fixing the roster issues they inherited. Lets go through some of the highlights and my thoughts on the class.

LOSING CHUBBA PURDY WAS A BIG DEAL FOR THIS CLASS

We might as well start with the biggest news with the 2020 class. Chubba Purdy flipped to Florida state and Louisville lost the highest rated player in the class. Purdy would have been the second highest rated high school player Louisville would have signed since joining the ACC, so any idea that it’s not a big loss doesn’t make much sense. He has the ability to run the full offense and would have at least competed for a chance to see the field next year.

The staff had him in the class for six months so it seemed odd that he would take a visit after all of that time let alone actually flip to a new staff. However, Purdy is going to get to play with a childhood friend at FSU as their moms are best friends. Mike Norvell and his offensive coordinator having deep ties to Arizona likely led to the connection and the rest is history. I pointed this out on Twitter but flips aren’t always an indictment on your own program. These things just happen sometimes. I made that point after LSU lost the second ranked wide receiver in the country less than a week after their star receiver won the Biletnikoff and Joe Burrow won the Heisman. Teenagers are nearly impossible to figure out.

The folks anointing Tee Webb are missing the bigger picture in this situation. UofL needed two quarterbacks in this class to get to the number they want. Getting two really good quarterbacks is the ideal ending for the staff. Now they are short one guy and there’s still a chance that Jawon Pass transfers. If the staff decides not to reach for another quarterback, they could go into year two in the same situation they were in this year. Depth is now a question.

Purdy not coming probably isn’t a concern long term as they could land a highly coveted guy in the next class. They have offered a few really good players and not getting Purdy should actually help them with those guys.

THE NUMBERS ARE GETTING BETTER

Louisville had six offensive linemen this time last year so it’s a great sign that the staff was able to bring in five offensive linemen in this class after getting five in their initial class. T.J. McCoy was only here for a year, but the staff has nine guys in that room that they picked to play here. That bodes well for a group that had plenty of highs this year as well as some very real issues. UofL leads the country in tackles for loss allowed while also doing a great job run blocking.

The staff added four defensive linemen in this class while also getting Ja’Darien Boykin on campus after he didn’t qualify last year. Boykin was the highest rated player in the 2019 class and adds a pass rusher to the group who has the ability to play as a freshman. Yaya Diaby is a potential starter who should be able to step in and fill Amonte Caban’s spot. They still need more guys up front on the line but they added five guys who can at least be a part of the rotation early on.

Louisville was also able to add a bunch of receivers after the mass exodus last spring. UofL will have six scholarship receivers after the bowl game and that number could be five if anyone transfers. So they went out and got a very nice group of guys who can all run and all fill a distinct role.

UofL is losing 17 or so contributors. They finished the early signing period with all of those spots replaced outside of punter and inside linebacker. They will likely use the last few open spots to address those needs.

SPEED WAS PUT AT A PREMIUM

We spent the last few years hearing about how each class was adding speed but that didn’t translate to the field much. Scott Satterfield was able to showcase the speed he inherited and that helped him bring in more speed on the offensive side of the ball. Jordan Watkins specifically pointed out that the big plays in the new offense convinced him to flip from UK and he is now one of the two receivers they signed who runs a sub-4.4 forty. Speed was what they looked for at App State and they’ve brought that here to Louisville.

Bryan Brown added some speed as well on the defense. Kameron Wilson is a very good outside linebacker who should have a strong shot at seeing the field early. Marvin Dallas was a track guy in high school and even though I think he is very raw, he can run really well. Lovie Jenkins should end up at the safety spot that Russ yeast played and his speed should help him a lot in coverage against slot guys.

You can’t teach speed so it’s great that they are recruiting it and looking to develop the other stuff.

WHO ARE THE IMPACT GUYS?

In my opinion, Louisville added two immediate starters in this class. Trevor Reid should be able to slide right into Mekhi Becton’s spot at left tackle. The JUCO All-American was really good this past year and his experience puts him ahead of the redshirt freshmen guys they brought in last year. Yaya Diaby will have to hold off Dayna Kinnaird but I think he has the more complete game and should be able to do so. Even if he doesn’t, he will be the top guy to rotate in and will definitely be on the field in passing situations. I also think that all five defensive line additions will be in the rotation this year.

Wilson should push for playing time as an outside linebacker. I’d expect him to get the snaps that Boosie Whitlow had this year. Nick Okeke and Yasir Abdullah will be better because Wilson is here. That’s a big positive.

Jordan Watkins is a bit raw as a receiver but I would be surprised if they don’t find a way to use his speed and quickness. He has a future as a return guy but they’re pretty solid there. Christian Fitzpatrick is walking into an offense that is losing three outside receivers. Getting here in January will help him earn a backup role to Justin Marshall.

Lovie Jenkins is my sleeper pick when it comes to a guy who doesn’t have an obvious path to the field. He won’t take Russ Yeast’s job but he could be the guy the put on the field in the nickel or dime package. If Trennel Troutman is being moved into the role of Rodjay Burns’ backup, they will need another guy at safety who can provide depth. I think Jenkins is that guy.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This is a good class for Louisville. Getting Chubba Purdy would have made this class a....good class. You can only play one quarterback so even though it’s bad when you don’t get a guy, it’s possible to still be okay. They should still be in good shape next year with what they have right now. Fixing the numbers is the key to this class and they were able to do that in nearly every area. They should be able to take the next step forward now that they have flexibility.

I’m obligated to use “fit” in every recruiting post so I’ll just say that nearly every guy in this class fits what the staff does. Jamie Vance is a long corner who can play the ball in the air. The offensive linemen can all run and block in space. We all know they need to be able to do that in this zone blocking scheme. Tee Webb fits the offense that Scott Satterfield ran for four years at App State when they didn’t have a guy who could do all of the option stuff. I will continue to beat this drum like a toddler who got a toy drum set for Christmas.

Recruiting outside of the elite level (which is nearly every team in the country) is all about scouting traits and developing guys over time. That’s why so many of these guys that play the same position look the same on film. The defensive linemen are all cat quick and can run. The linebackers can all run and close space quickly. The safeties can all play the ball over top. I think this staff keys on the traits they want and they develop the other things. We won’t know for another year or so if their plan works but it worked at App.

Personally, I think it will work here as well.