Bryan Brown Excited for Louisville's Defensive Newcomers
(Photo of Bryan Brown: John Sommers II/Special to the Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When the Louisville football program started to begin recruiting prospects from the Class of 2021, their main focus was on the defensive side of the ball. While they had good starting talent, the previous coaching regime left the Cardinals extremely thin on defense, with very little depth to speak of.
Fast forward to last December's early signing period, and Louisville took a major step forward in that department. out of the 21 high school seniors to sign a National Letter of Intent with the Cardinals, 13 of them were defensive prospects.
Additionally, six of them were early enrollees and have begun practicing with the team during spring ball. Out of that group, five are in the secondary alone. Defensive coordinator Bryan Brown is excited to not only be welcoming such a large defensive class, but also seeing so many of them get integrated so early.
"It's awesome to get those guys now," Brown said Wednesday after practice. "We got to make sure that those guys are on point, and understand what we're trying to get done and accomplish defensively, so we can execute it and don't give up to be plays in the backend."
Of course, players who would normally be in their final semester of high school have a lot to learn when it comes to the college game, but Brown notes that they are already beginning to establish habits that will ensure long term individual success.
"The one thing I love about those guys, they're coming in and they're trying to get extra work, and in the film room. You rarely have that," he said. "We didn't have that a lot in the last couple of years here. But they're eager to learn, they're easy to coach, they want to get better, they're challenging each other."
On top of the prospects fresh out of high school, Louisville also welcomed a high-caliber back end transfer in safety Kenderick Duncan. Coming over from Georgia Southern just a few weeks after the Early Signing Period, he also enrolled early, and has already made an impression on Brown.
"I expect Kenderick to come in and play like a All-ACC player," he said. "He looks it, but he also plays like it. He's not a 'looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane', whatever it is, but he plays like Tarzan. He's a smart cat man, that understands what we're doing, like I said before he was in a similar defense."
Up to this point, Louisville has only conducted three of their 15 practice sessions during spring ball, with the final practice scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 13. But in that short amount of time, a few of the rookies have already caught Brown's eye.
"You got a guy like Ben Perry, who's doing a tremendous job for us right now in the first couple of days," he said. "He understands football and he loves it. He's in our staff meetings every single day just trying to get extra work, and trying to see what we're trying to put in for the day.
"You look at a guy like TJ Quinn who's getting great reps, Bralyn Oliver and all that. But I think the one guy has shown a lot of flash every single day, whether it's PoPs, or even the first few days, is Ashton Gillotte. That cat is quick, man. He's quick, and he plays with a relentless effort."
Louisville will kickoff the 2021 season against Ole Miss in the annual Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Monday, Sept. 6.
You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on Twitter:
Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI and Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @GeneralWasp
