Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Photo by Seth Bloom. 2015. Fitted

Louisville Football Recruiting: Q&A

Chris PersonJuly 14, 2016

As we approach one of the biggest recruiting weekends for Louisville football of the year, I thought it would be good to get some fan involvement and answer some recruiting questions regarding not only the 2017 and 2018 classes but the 2016 class that just enrolled and is on campus. Thank you to everyone that sent in questions!

Question #1: Who are some speedy running backs in the class of ’17 that Petrino is after? And how many do you see us landing? @Jacob_Lane9314

Answer: There are several possibilities for running back in the 2017 cycle. While none of them stand out as pure “speed” backs there are several that do have good speed. Guys like Colin Wilson, Michael Warren, Makel Young, Jalen Holston, and Deon Jackson seem to be the running backs that Louisville is pursuing, although with Holston and Jackson I have not heard any update recently. Wilson is the highest rated of the group and his film shows it. He seemed to have a good visit but Louisville has some stiff competition for Wilson. I think the 2 they have the best shot with are Michael Warren and Makel Young. Both are more all-purpose backs but they both do have speed. There is a chance that Louisville can actually land a commitment from one if not both of these backs this Friday. As far as how many I think Louisville will take in 2017, my best guess would be 2 but I could see them taking 3 if they really found the right guys.

Question #2: Who is the highest rated recruit in the ’17 class that we have the best chance of landing? @BigBird_104

Answer: There are a few guys that Louisville is in on right now that are very highly rated and are seriously considering Louisville. Colin Wilson, James Hudson, and Russ Yeast are guys that come to mind. There are a few more that Louisville has an outside shot with : CJ Avery, LaBryan Ray, etc. but I don’t feel those will be likely. As with most recruiting cycles, I think that you will see more “highly rated” guys emerge as serious possibilities throughout the season and towards signing day. Especially if Louisville can have a big season, recruits will take notice, and if there is any way you can get them to campus then anything can happen.

Question #3: Any news on Boykin? @mountaincard

Answer: As of right now we do not have an update on the Mike Boykin situation. I will continue to operate under the assumption that he will be here come the start of fall camp but things are quiet as to what is going on there.

Question #4: Any freshman going to have a serious impact for this season? @shawnglassford

Answer: Obviously, this does present some challenges in trying to answer but it is definitely worth addressing. The great part about their current situation is Coach Petrino and staff don’t need a whole lot of freshman to play. Sure, some will and a few may even have fairly large roles, but there is no position that the impact is absolutely essential. With that being said let’s examine a few possibilities: 1. Gary McCrae (LB): With the departure of James Burgess and the uncertainty of Trevon Young’s health McCrae, a former high 3*/low 4* prospect has the size (6’5″, 245lbs) to play immediately and coming out of JUCO you expect him to be a little more developed. 2. Chris Williams (DL): Williams enrolled early and could very well see time on the defensive line early as Coach Grantham tries to find a way to replace Sheldon Rankins. He’s athletic, got good size, and is versatile.

A few other possible early contributors:

Seth Dawkins – could be used on kick returns
Austin Johnson/Austin Laszewski – punter/kicker
Desmond Fitzpatrick – polished WR who may see some early PT even with deep receiving group
Ronald Walker – JUCO DB who enrolled early. Physically ready to contribute in the secondary
Dae Williams – really under the radar running back, if nobody separates themselves at the position Williams may snag a few carries?

Question #5: Will we get the trio that decommitted from UK? @slowmobster

Answer: Let me preface this with the standard “recruiting is an ever changing thing”. With that being said, I could see a scenario where all 3 end up at Louisville. I think Michael Warren could very likely commit with an offer this weekend and I do think that Hudson would like to play at the same school as Warren. Yeast seems to have serious interest in Louisville, but it is too early to say if that means Louisville is where he ends up. I will say this regarding the trio: They are all active in the Louisville recruit/commit “circle” and have expressed serious interest in the school. I have also heard talk from sources regarding all 3 committing to Louisville at some point or another.

Question #6: How likely is it that both ’18 commits will stick to their pledge and sign? @BigBird_104

Answer: Louisville is off to a great start in the 2018 recruiting class with Trenell Troutman and Marcus Riley. I have heard nothing but great things about both prospects and they both show great potential on film. The interesting part is their connection to Louisville (Troutman with Bridgewater and Riley with Sam Madison). I think these connections could at least give Louisville a shot of keeping both. With that being said, both are going to be highly sought after and UofL is going to have to fight away the sharks from now until signing day in February of 2018 (quite a long way!).

Question #7: How many commits do you see happening after this big recruiting weekend? @jlightsy7

Answer: This isn’t an easy question considering there are variables based on who gets offered, whose commitments are accepted, and if there are any “surprise” commitments from those we aren’t expecting. As of right now I am going to say there are roughly 8 guys I am keeping an extremely close watch on. There is a possibility from a commitment outside of those 8 but I think they are most likely to. With that being said if I were forced to give a range, as if I was predicting a snowfall, I would say 2-5. Obviously there could be more or less, but I think that is a realistic target range. That does not include guys I feel may commit to Louisville down the road. I think there are several of those that have Louisville as a leader and probably will commit, but it may take them a little longer.