Three Recruits That Could Change The 2021 Recruiting Class

Scott Satterfield dominated the Sun Belt with a roster that consisted of guys that weren’t always highly rated recruits for that level of play. He mined talent from southern states and prioritized speed over anything. But, he also had a knack for getting in on power five talent before anyone realized they were actually power five talents. He just couldn’t get them over the bigger schools once they jumped in. While we had to take his word for that, his 2018 recruiting class featured multiple players that ended up at power five schools after he took the Louisville job.

The 2021 recruiting class seems to be shaping up to be more proof that Satterfield was telling the truth back when he was hired. Louisville is about half way done with the class and they’ve already pulled multiple players in over playoff caliber teams.

While I believe that Louisville is in good shape for a handful of quality prospects, I think there are a few guys that could take the class to the next level. Here are a few guys that they have a legit shot with that would essentially make this the best class in Louisville history.

PRINCE KOLLIE - LINEBACKER

Louisville is prioritizing speed and length on defense and we know that they’ve been successful in getting those types of players so far. Kollie would be the blueprint, though. He has length that I’ve described as “comical” and he can run like a safety. Add in the fact that he should have no problem adding bulk to his frame and you have a guy that may unseat Ben Perry as the most complete recruit in the class. That’s obviously substantial with Perry being a guy that could easily push for a starting spot as a freshman.

Kollie dropped his top 10 a short while back and it included schools like UGA, ND, Oklahoma, Texas, and LSU. Then he picked up an offer from Alabama. But Louisville seems to be a realistic option for him with Derek Nicholson leading his recruitment. Kollie will likely cut his list at some point and if Louisville makes the cut, I truly believe they’ll be the pick.

DUCE CHESTNUT - CORNERBACK

Bryan Brown is a former Cornerback who has coached the position for nearly a decade so there’s little doubt at this point that he doesn’t know exactly what he wants at the position. Chestnut is a 4.5 guy with long arms and adequate height but more than anything he’s a ball hawk. Some guys just have a knack for being around the ball and all of the guys that Brown is targeting show that ability. He also does well as a returner and on offense. The footwork, vision, and quickness he shows as a runner also show up in coverage. He is such a smooth guy when it comes to flipping his hips and playing the ball in the air.

Adam Friedman of Rivals ranked Louisville as the top option for Chestnut last month. Friedman also pointed out that Chestnut would look to commit before his season started. If that’s the case, I’m not sure he’ll hold off to take his visits. The dead period has been extended to the end of July and teams might be in a fall camp situation after that where teams are sequestered away. So we might continue to see recruits commit early. Chestnut could follow that trend and pick the Cards.

SHEDEUR SANDERS - QUARTERBACK

Frank Ponce and Scott Satterfield don’t need to make a splash at quarterback from a roster standpoint but Sanders might have the ability to lure more players to join him. Sanders follows a pretty sizable amount of 2021 prospects and I don’t know that it’s a coincidence that a lot of them are Louisville targets. Louisville needs two receivers in this class and I tend to think that Sanders is a guy that could convince a guy like Ahmari Huggins-Bruce to join the class.

Sanders has said that he will be committing soon but I don’t know that anyone has an idea where’s he is heading. Dave Lackford of CardinalSports.com put in a pick for him to pick Louisville a couple of months ago which is probably a good sign. Lackford has hit on every one of his predictions in this class. I don’t have a prediction myself but it does seem like Louisville is in good shape.