ACC Recruiting Breakdowns: Louisville Cardinals

Let's face it, we all need a nice glass of Kentucky bourbon right about now. And for a few years, it looked like the Louisville Cardinals were playing a football game after a few glasses.

I really don't think there was a better coaching job in America than what Scott Satterfield did last season at the 'Ville. That was insane. Will it continue? Or will there be, like the greasy Papa John prophesized, "a day of reckoning" for the Cardinals?

2020 Class:
ACC Rank: 7
National Rank: 42
# of Signees: 25
Average Recruit Rating: 0.8561
Top Recruit: Trevor Reid, OT, Milledgeville GA (0.8851)

Biggest Need: Defensive playmakers
Even in a resurgent season that saw the Cardinals finish 8-5 and 2nd in the Atlantic, Louisville continued to struggle on defense. The Cardinals were last in the ACC in at 33.4 points allowed per game and 13th in rush defense at 205.8 yards allowed per game. Combine that with being 13th in interceptions at only 7 and 12th in sacks, and you're in some trouble.

Louisville grabbed a handful of outside linebackers in this class, including Kameron Wilson (0.8762) out of Jonesboro, GA. In the secondary, Jamie Vance (0.8701) from New Orleans was probably the most highly sought-after recruit in the class. What he lacks in size at 5'11", he makes up for with blazing speed and tenacity. He had offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State and others.

Other than that, no one that really jumps off the screen. Louisville seems to always hit on the mid-tier 3 star guys, so one or two of them will end up being fringe NFL guys. Will be interesting to see if Satterfield can survive the lack of defensive strength for another few years.

Most Exciting Recruit: Tee Webb, PRO QB, Cartersville GA (0.8647)
This is the guy that step into the QB role after a guy named Trevor Lawrence. He did pretty damn well, too. Webb is a classic PRO style QB. He's got a big arm, good size, and played in a pretty advanced offense for high school. He has 60 TD's and 15 INT's in two seasons as the starter at Cartersville.

Louisville will always have athletes. They recruit Georgia and Florida well and are big into grabbing the "ATH" guys that may be a bit underrated. What they need is a guy to get them the ball. Webb can do that, and he can stretch the defense with his arm strength. He may be a couple years away, but Webb's a good talent and will be in the battle for the starting role next season.

Early Contributor: The Trio from Georgia Military College
The Cardinals signed 3 players from GMC this cycle:

OT Trevor Reid (0.8851) is an undersized lineman at 265lbs. However, the Cardinals are desperate to rebuild up front and may have to give Reid a shot early in the season. Both tackle spots are open, and Reid, the #2 JUCO OT prospect in the nation, comes in with a lot of hype around his potential.

EDGE Yaya Diaby (0.8681) has a great frame and showed bursts of real talent in JUCO. He gained offers from Kansas State, West Virginia, and Arizona as well, and was ranked the #3 JUCO DE in the nation. Diaby has the size and athleticism to play in the ACC. Wouldn't be surprised to see him lined up against Darrisaw in this fall when the Hokies travel to Louisville.

OLB Marvin Dallas (0.8681) is an excellent athlete. He's more of a Whip linebacker like Tech uses than a traditional LB. He was a corner in high school and played excellent in coverage in JUCO. He's ranked as one of the top LB's in JUCO in the nation. At just 180lbs, he'll need to be really bulking up to withstand blockers in the ACC. However, I could see him getting on the field in Nickel / passing down situations to pick up running backs and tight ends.

Impressed with what Satterfield was able to do at the JUCO level. They also grabbed Braden Smith, a WR from Northwest Mississippi CC in this class.

Sam's Grade: B-
A lot of factors go into this class. On one hand, Louisville is coming off a very surprising 8 win season and seems to have turned the tide with new coach Scott Satterfield. On the other hand, that new coach recruiting bump can have a downside. You're having to establish brand new relationships with players in a short time. You can also say that Louisville got the #42 class in the country, which isn't bad when you think about how abysmal that program was just 12 months ago. However, that ranking is very skewed. An average player rating of 0.8561 is actually 9th in the ACC. The overall class score is enhanced because they signed 25 players. And of the top players signed, many are undersized or have played out of position. A lot of the ACC media is jumping on the Louisville bandwagon, so it's a good thing I'm not included in that group. I just don't think the Cards can compete with Clemson or Florida State with this kind of class.

ACC Grades:
Syracuse – C
Boston College – B
Pittsburgh – B+
Louisville – B-