:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70442994/usa_today_16921656.0.jpg)
Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program and Scott Satterfield and his staff has taken a lot of heat for not recruiting to the level that the fanbase would like. One can make a fair argument that Satterfield’s recruiting has been on par with previous coaches but the win-loss column hasn’t been where it needs to be and recruiting may factor into that. While the new staff changes have made some waves, the biggest focus of the early off season has rightfully been on recruiting. Whether that be finishing off the 2022 class with transfers or getting a start to the 2023 class, all eyes are focused on the first sign of potential improvement.
Satterfield couldn’t have possibly responded to those concerns more strongly. The Louisville staff will be hosting a large number of prospects this weekend including around 16 players that have been rated as 4-star recruits by at least one of the four major recruiting services. As someone who has been following UofL recruiting for a good while, I don’t know that the program has ever had a recruiting weekend with this much talent on campus. I’m not trying to come off as over the top but just getting these guys on campus is an important step for the staff.
Below is a list of the recruits expected to spend at least part of their weekend on campus. I’ve linked their On3 recruiting profile that details how each of the four major recruiting sites rank them. Hudl highlights and a quick through from me is below that.
Pierce Clarkson - Quarterback
Clarkson is the biggest name of the group of visitors in part because he’s a quarterback. This will be his third trip to Louisville and Dave Lackford over at Rivals has made a prediction that Louisville will be where he ends up.
Jshawn Frausto-Ramos - Defensive Back
This will be the second visit for the defensive back from California. He has made it pretty clear that he is willing to leave the west coast for college.
Jahlil McClain - Athlete
The third member of St. John Bosco High School to make the trip this weekend is also making his second visit to campus. I like McClain as a wide receiver. He didn’t put up big numbers this year but he showed some real potential.
Johntay Cook - Wide Receiver
“Absurd” is the word I used to describe Cook. He is fast, quick, and he can do a bit of everything at wide receiver. He has the size and quickness to play in the slot but he plays outside for his high school team and he regularly beats man coverage and he runs a lot of different routes in his offense. Cook also has a relationship with Clarkson from workouts and camps.
Kyle Parker - Wide Receiver
I haven’t had the opportunity to watch all of these players’ highlights like I try to do normally but Parker’s junior year film is impressive. He is typically used as a guy who can just run the deep routes and run past people so I would like to see how he looks running slants and comebacks and other routes. But he has really good speed and he can make some moves in the open field to make people miss.
Jayden Davis - Safety
Davis is a ballhawk. He does a really good job of diagnosing the play and making a play on the football. He isn’t as high profile as some of the other guys who will be visiting but he is one of my favorites. I like his size and how he plays the ball.
Micah Carter - Defensive End
Carter is one of the top prospects in Louisville and the state of Kentucky as a whole. He is a long defensive end with a frame that can pack on pounds. He has a bit of rawness to his game like you see sometimes from guys who are growing into their bodies. I think this weekend could be helpful for UofL to stave off UK in the long run.
Damian Thompson - Wide Receiver
Over the last week or so Thompson has picked up an offer from Georgia and Ole Miss and he took a visit to Alabama. UofL getting him on campus shortly after extending an offer is good to see.
Martel Hight - Cornerback
Highlights - Defense
Highlights - Offense
Hight is an interesting prospect out of Georgia. He has some solid skills on both sides of the ball but he looks sticky in coverage and being sticky with good ball skills is a nice combination.
Martavious Collins - Tight End
I hope you guys check out Collins’ highlights. He’s just a very large human with good athleticism. He’s not a burner when he gets in the open field but he looks good running with the football. It will be interesting to see if he keeps growing and ends up as a defensive end.
Everett Roussaw - Linebacker
Roussaw committed to Arkansas right when he picked up an offer from UofL and a couple o other schools. Getting him here is great but I would be a little surprised if he changes his mind. Arkansas has been in on him for a while.
Adonijah Green - Edge
UofL’s sole 2023 commitment is spending his second straight weekend in Louisville. Since his commitment, Green has picked up offers from Wake, Missouri, Indiana, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Nebraska, UCF, and Duke. Getting him back on campus each week is a positive for the staff.
Jeremiah Collins - Cornerback
One of my favorite guys on the visit list is Collins. The Male prospect is a tall and lanky cornerback prospect and he has been on campus multiple times. There seems to be a lot of mutual interest with the local prospect.
Javin Simpkins - Running Back
UofL has a small handful of running backs that they have been after in this cycle and it seems like Simpkins is near the top of the list. He was a Georgia Tech commit at one point but the speedy back opened up his recruitment after staff changes were made there. Simpkins is a smaller back but he has home-run speed and the ability to make people miss. While we don’t know what position Lance Taylor will coach, his record with running backs might be appealing.
Kayden McDonald - Nose Tackle
This kid is a monster. he plays against good competition in Georgia and he looks like a college player playing in high school. McDonald has great size but he has great get off and he knows how to use his size to make tackles. He rarely lunges at guys and instead gets his arms around guys and makes sure tackles in the backfield. He’s one of the most impressive players visiting this weekend.
DeAndre Moore - Wide Receiver
The highlights linked above are from two years ago. That means he was a freshman. Just watch them and it will make sense why he’s a top-50 player and why ESPN has him ranked as the number one wide receiver in the 2023 class.
Anthony Davis - Defensive Back
UofL is still looking at 2022 secondary prospects and Davis will be taking an official visit this weekend. I was pleasantly surprised by Davis’ athleticism and his size. He returned kicks for his high school and played a couple of different spots on offense. His defensive highlights are solid but not overly impressive. However, you can’t teach speed and he appears to have plenty of it.
Jeremiah Caldwell - Defensive Back
Caldwell is a very nice prospect in my opinion. He has great size at 6-3/175 and he can play either corner or safety. I like him at safety because of his tackling but he has the type of talent that you just figure out once they get there. UofL appears to be in good shape here and they could land a commitment soon.
Connor Knight - Defensive End
UofL seems to be targeting a wider mix of body types when it comes to the defensive line with bigger nose tackles and strong side guys while targeting longer athletes for the weakside. All of the guys have one thing in common as they are all big-frame guys who should add weight. Knight is a big kid who plays inside and outside for his high school. His recruitment is picking up so he is another player that UofL has gotten in on early.
J.T. Haskins - Athlete
Haskins is a legacy recruit who UofL offered a few months back. He doesn’t have any other offers but he is young and will likely garner some attention as he gets older. Part of the reason I say that is Haskins flashes some real skills on film. He tracks and plays the ball well and he is willing to deliver a blow in the secondary. He will be an interesting player to keep up with.
Antonio Watts - Defensive Back
Watts is a safety prospect in the 2022 class that UofL offered recently. He has good size for a safety and I think that’s where they are recruiting him. I’m not sure what the plan is to fill these spots they have but I would be pretty surprised if they take two high school safeties.
Jalen Alexander - Safety
Duke Transfer
UofL needs veteran depth and Alexander is a solid player from Duke. He wasn’t a part of the drubbing that Louisville laid on them this season but he has played plenty of minutes for the Blue Devils over the last few years. Alexander played for Grayson in Georgia as a high schooler and he had offers from a litany of schools around the country. With UofL bringing in M.J. Griffin, Alexander could be a nice veteran addition to push other players.
Other Visitors:
Oryend Fisher
Barrett Maddox
Evan Dickens
Jamil Williams
Kenric Lanier
Ryan Mckinnis
Xavier Terrell
Mario Byrd
Michael Richard
Chance Morrow
Sam Secrest
Kerry Brown
Jonathan Bax
Marvin Bruks
Fredrick Moore
Jamarion Parker