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Scott Satterfield and his staff have a daunting task ahead of them as they try to rebuild the Louisville football roster. I thought it would be a good idea to start a running post on the roster and how they might go about filling the spots. It’s a bit of a mix between a recruiting board and an ongoing look at how each position is playing through the year.
Louisville has somewhere between 6-8 spots left in the recruiting class and I think they will use some of those to address positions needs as the season starts and they get a better feel for everyone. I’ll update this post through the season and I’ll change the date as it gets updated. I’ll change the notes as well as what recruits they might be targeting and how many guys I see them taking at each spot.
*UPDATED 10/4*
I’ve finally started to add recruits to the board. Things are starting to get down to the final stretch with only a handful of guys that the staff is going after. A couple of guys that are committed have been hearing from other schools and taking visits so I wouldn’t be shocked to see things shake up a bit over the next three months.
Louisville still has about six spots left and it will be interesting to see who they land out of the guys they’re chasing.
QUARTERBACK
Additions: Chubba Purdy, Tee Webb
Losing: None
The quarterback spot has the potential to finally get to where Scott Satterfield and Frank Ponce want it from a numbers standpoint. It was made clear early on that they want five guys at quarterback but they didn’t really specify if they want five “scholarship” guys. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Malik Cunningham playing a different position next year but even if he’s still in the QB room, they’re in solid shape with the guys they have coming in.
Recruits (0):
RUNNING BACK
Additions:
Losing: Dae Williams
As of now, Louisville hasn’t landed a running back for the 2020 class. They’ve gone pretty hard after a few guys so it’s obvious that they are looking to add at least one guy. Dae Williams decided to transfer earlier this season to get a head start on his transfer destination. The staff will likely look to add another running back so that they don’t have a numbers issue. However, if they have a spot where they would be fine without adding someone, it’s here.
Recruits (0):
WIDE RECEIVER
Additions: Dexter Rentz, Braden Smith (JUCO), Nick Malito
Losing: Seth Dawkins, Emonee Spence, Devante Peete, Thomas Jackson
The Cards lost a handful of receivers to transfer after the coaching change and ended up in a position where they might actually be a little under where they want to be next year. They’ve added a couple of guys who fit in the slot but they still have work to do to add some outside receivers. Rentz is an “athlete” in the class and plays running back for his high school so it wouldn’t be out of the question for him to actually be an option there.
Recruits (1):
TIGHT ENDS
Additions: Duane Martin, Desmond Daniels
Losing: Jordan Davis, Ean Pfeifer
The staff has done an admirable job getting to a solid number at the tight end spot but they will enter the offseason with just three scholarship tight ends on the roster. The group has two positions with h-back being pretty much set with four guys that fit that spot. Daniels is probably the only guy that fits as the “Y” position as of now but Dez Melton has the potential to bulk up and play the spot. I still think they need to get one more guy that is a true tight end to get the numbers right.
Recruits (1):
OFFENISVE LINE
Additions: Timothy Lawson, Trevor Reid (JUCO), Kobe Baynes, Luke Kandra, Austin Collins
Losing: Ronald Rudd, Tyler Haycraft
Scott Satterfield took over a roster that had major issues at offensive line with only 8 scholarship linemen on the roster at the time. The staff addressed the needs quickly with four additions to the group in the 2019 class. They’ve done even better with five new guys in the 2020 class, including Trevor Reid as a JUCO guy that can contribute immediately. This is the one spot on the team that I think they will take more than they need. They’ll definitely hold a spot for Dumervil.
Recruits (0):
Louisville will have Marcus Dumervil in town for an official visit when they play Clemson. He has made it known that he thinks highly of Dwayne Ledford and coaching in general is a factor in his recruitment. He also recently told Rivals that he wants to get a feel for the atmosphere at Louisville before he makes his final decision in January or February. I think it’s safe to say that Louisville will hold a spot open for him for as long as they feel that they have a chance.
Louisville got an official visit from Shrader over the summer but he took a few visits to FSU and decided to pull the trigger before the season started. The staff is still recruiting Shrader and he was on campus in Tallahassee for the UofL game last week. With the potential of Mekhi Becton going into the draft, the staff probably wants to add one more tackle to get the numbers right.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Additions: Henry Bryant, Jared Dawson, Dezmond Tell
Losing: G.G. Robinson, Amonte Caban, Ty Tyler, Gary McCrae
The defensive front has some experience this year but they will need to replace two starters next year plus Ty Tyler who was brought in to provide depth and help with the pass rush. As of now, the staff has landed two guys that I think will play at the nose position in Henry Bryant and Dezmond Tell. Jared Dawson seems to fit one of the end positions better but I do think that all three guys fit the scheme very well and at least one of these guys should be an option as a rotation guy.
Recruits (1):
The staff has utilized the larger class very well in my opinion. They have taken a few JUCO guys that can add immediate help at their positions and they’re looking to add one or two more guys. Diaby is a great fit for the 3-4 as an end. He has the size and strength that you want to be able to handle the run while also showing some solid quickness off the ball. Louisville seems to be in good shape with Colorado and UCF as the other top schools recruiting him.
LINEBACKER
Additions: Marvin Dallas, Kameron Wilson, Zay Peterson, Khatavian Franks,
Losing: Boosie Whitlow, Damien Smith, T.J. Holl
The linebacker group should be in great shape next year with the potential to bring back all four starters. T.J. Holl will provide great depth this year but they should be in good shape with Dorian Jones and Robert Hicks next year. I still think they need to add a guy that can play inside, however.
Recruits (2):
Wren appears to be the last JUCO guy that Louisville is going after. Wren was a high three star prospect in high school who ended up being the second highest recruit to ever sign with Louisiana Tech. He had a bunch of high level offers but ended up at JUCO where he moved permanently to linebacker. So far this year he’s put up good numbers and looks to be a great fit for the “Dog” position that will be losing Boosie Whitlow this year.
Even though he’s listed as a defensive end, I think that Kinsler would be an outside linebacker in Louisville’s scheme. He is a super long and athletic player but he’s also very lean. I could see him getting to 220-230 pounds but I don’t see that being enough to play end. I also think it would be a waste of his athleticism. I’d have to imagine that Cort Dennison is recruiting him with the understanding that he will also be coaching him. Syracuse and Oregon seem to be the top competition for him.
CORNERBACK
Additions:
Losing: Cornelius Sturghill, P.J. Mbansaor,
The cornerback position is key in Bryan Brown’s defense and he walked into a pretty good situation because he has a lot of options. The mix of veteran guys and young guys like Chandler Jones and Anthony Johnson will allow him to find his best combination while not having to find an impact recruit at the position for next year. Ronald Delancey was the first commitment in this class and I think he could be the last addition at the spot.
Recruits (2):
Louisville is after two Arizona State cornerback commits. Lee has been committed to ASU for a while but he has also made it very clear that he is looking around. He took a visit to UNC in June and has been rumored to take an official to Louisville at some point. Since he committed to ASU he has received offers from Michigan State, Alabama, Texas, Notre Dame, and Miami. It’s understandable that he is considering other options.
Taylor is supposed to be in town for the Boston College game and the idea of being a bit closer to home could help Louisville. Taylor has been committed to Arizona State since the summer but it’s a good sign that Louisville was able to get his only other official visit as of now. Taylor is a speedy corner that also returns kicks on special teams. He fits the athletic profile that Bryan Brown wants.
Louisville is scheduled to visit Louisville late in October. He received an offer from the staff on the same day that Ronald Delancy took an official visit to Nebraska so it seems like they maybe saw his decommitment coming. Hill has offers from Miami, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Cincy.
SAFETY
Additions: Josh Minkins, Lovie Jenkins
Losing: Khane Pass
The roster doesn’t have a true “need” at the safety spot but I think they will look to add one guy to the room to ensure that they don’t end up in a rough spot down the road. They will only have juniors and seniors on the roster next year so they need to get at least one guy in the room that will bridge the gap. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see the staff look to redshirt a guy or two if they can. Telly Plummer and Trenell Troutman had their redshirts burned last year and Plummer can be a candidate to play four games and sit this year.
Recruits (0):
Balom is made an official visit to Louisville on 9/7 for the Eastern Kentucky game. Balom is a safety out of Florida with offers from Miami, West Virginia, Indiana, and Utah.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Additions: Brock Travelstead
Losing: Blanton Creque, Mason King
The special teams group will need two new guys next year but the staff has already addressed one spot with Brock Travelstead in the class. Aidan Marshall reportedly transferred in from Auburn but as of now there isn’t a punter on the roster behind King. I’m really interested to see if some of the guys listed at kicker will end up at punter. James Turner is a guy that stands out to me as he was a highly rated player at Chris Sailing’s kicking camp.
Recruits (0):
Ezra King
Louisville needs a punter to either replace Mason King or provide competition for one of the four kickers on the roster that will likely switch over. King is a four star punter based on the specialists sites. I doubt that the staff will spend a scholarship on a punter in this class but finding a guy that can walk-on and earn a scholarship shouldn’t be a major problem.