Looking Back at Louisville Football's 2021 Recruiting Class

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As most fans of the Louisville football program know, the first two years of the Scott Satterfield era were certainly up-and-down.

The Cardinals went 8-5 in 2019, resulting in Satterfield winning ACC Coach of the Year. The following year, UofL lost four of the first five and six of their first eight games, finishing year two under Satterfield at just 4-7

Of course, Satterfield wound up taking the job at Cincinnati after the 2022 season, paving the way for Jeff Brohm to take over. But how did Satt and Co. do after a couple up-and-down years with the Cardinals?

Below is every scholarship signee from the 2021 class in alphabetical order, coupled with notes on how they panned out at Louisville:

Jaylen Alderman

Position: Inside Linebacker
UofL Career Stats (27 games): 79 tackles (42 solo), 7.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, two pass breakups.

Despite being Louisville's second-lowest ranked high school commitment in the cycle at No. 1,284 overall, Alderman got immediate playing time at Louisville. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman, logging 17 tackles (11 solo, 0.5 for loss), as well as the game-winning pick-six against UCF. Surprisingly, he did not see any playing time as a sophomore in Satterfield's final year at the helm, but became a starter in year one under Brohm. Starting all 14 games in 2023, Alderman was the Cards' fourth-leading tackler at 62 (31 solo), along with seven for loss, 1.5 sacks and two pass breakups. In another surprising turn of events, he entered the portal following that season, and spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons as a rotational linebacker at Miami.

Caleb Banks

Position: Defensive Tackle
UofL Career Stats (Seven games): Two tackles (one solo), one for loss, one sack, one forced fumble.

Banks spent a pair of seasons at Louisville, but did not see much on-field action. He played one game as a true freshman, then made six appearances in 2022 as a redshirt freshman, with most of his aforementioned stats coming against Wake Forest. He then transferred to Florida, where his career found new life. He established himself as one of the best interior linemen in the SEC, which included logging 21 tackles, seven for loss, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2024. An injury cut short his 2025 campaign, but that did not stop him from becoming a first round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, going No. 18 overall to the Vikings.

Victoine Brown

Position: Defensive End
UofL Career Stats (Three games): No stats.

Brown was Louisville's third-highest ranked signee in the 2021 cycle, coming in as the No. 493 prospect in the nation. However, he only saw garbage time reps in two games as a true freshman, and only played one game in 2022 - and it didn't come until the bowl game. He then transferred, spending the next two seasons at Georgia State.

Demetrius Cannon

Position: Wide Receiver
UofL Career Stats (Zero games): No stats.

After not seeing the field in his true freshman campaign, Cannon entered the transfer portal after one season at Louisville. He then spent just one season in the JUCO ranks at Iowa Central C.C., and has been out of football since.

Rance Conner

Position: Cornerback
UofL Career Stats (Eight games): Five tackles (three solo), one interception, one fumble recovery.

Conner didn't see a ton of on-field time at Louisville. He played just two games as a true freshman, logging four tackles (two solo), then saw action in six games in 2022 - but had just one tackle, an interceptions and a fumnble recovery. He transferred to East Carolina for the 2023 season, then played his final two years in college at Valdosta State.

Trevion Cooley

Position: Running Back
UofL Career Stats (19 games): 145 rushing attempts for 709 yards and three touchdowns; 21 catches for 239 yards and three touchdowns.

At No. 373 in the nation, Cooley was Louisville's high-ranked offensive commitment in the cycle. He was an immediate impact for the Cardinals, rushing for 431 yards (third-most on the team) and a touchdown on 86 attempts, while also catching 12 passes for 173 yards and two scores. His overall usage took a step back in 2022, finishing that season with 59 rushing attempts for 278 yards and two touchdowns, as well as nine receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. With the emergence of Jawhar Jordan and recruitment of Isaac Guerendo, Cooley hit the portal after two years at UofL, spending the next two seasons at Georgia Tech. He then entered the portal again, transferring to Troy for the 2025, but did not play after suffering a season-ending injury before the year.

Ryheem Craig

Position: Defensive End
UofL Career Stats (18 games): Nine tackles (three solo), one for loss, one sack.

Craig was Louisville's lowest-ranked high school signee in this recruiting class, with the 247Sports Composite placing him at No. 1,482 in the class. He played three games in each of his first two seasons at Louisville, and 12 games in 2023, but only saw the field in 165 combined defense and special teams snaps during that time. He transferred following year three, spending his final two seasons in college at East Carolina.

Brock Domann

Position: Quarterback
UofL Career Stats (15 games): 84-of-146 (56.4 percent) for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns to six interceptions; 37 rushes for 81 yards and a score.

Domann was one of three JUCO commitments for Louisville, joining them by way of Independence Community College in Kansas. He played just one game in 2021, but the next season, he took on a much bigger role due to starting quarterback Malik Cunningham's injury issues. He wound up playing in 10 games and making four starts, including the final three games of the season, posting a 3-1 record as a starter. Domann finished the season 79-of-144 for 998 yards and four touchdowns to six picks. As a senior in 2023, he only appeared in four games in garbage time.

Derrick Edwards III

Position: Cornerback
UofL Career Stats (11 games): Five tackles (three solo).

Edwards only played 17 total snaps across five games over his first two years at Louisville. As a redshirt sophomore in 2023, he was able to see action in 11 games, but logged just five tackles in 108 combined defense and special teams snaps. He would later transfer and spend the final two years of his collegiate career at Charlotte.

Trey Franklin

Position: Cornerback
UofL Career Stats (34 games): 19 tackles (15 solo), two interceptions, two pass breakups.

Franklin started his career at Buffalo in 2019, spent the 2020 season at the JUCO level at Iowa Western Community College, then made his way to Louisville where he played three seasons. He showed real promise in his first season as a Cardinal, logging 10 tackles (nine solo) and two interceptions in 12 games. However, he would only register a pass breakup in eight games in 2022, then nine tackles (six solo) and a pass breakup in 2023.

Ashton Gillotte

Position: Defensive End
UofL Career Stats (51 games): 131 tackles (73 solo), 40.5 tackles for loss, 26.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, one pass breakup.

Banks might be a first round pick, but in terms of overall production, Gillotte is without a doubt the top player to commit to Louisville in the 2021 cycle. Despite being the third-lowest-ranked UofL commit in the cycle (No. 1,281), Gilotte was an instant difference maker for the Cardinals, logging eight tackles for loss sacks and four sacks as a true freshman. He made the jump to starting edge rusher as a sophomore, adding eight more tackles for loss and seven sacks that season. For his junior year in 2023, he was one of the best defensive ends in college football. Starting all 14 games, Gillotte collected 14.5 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and 45.0 tackles overall. Not only did he earn First-Team All-ACC honors and was the runner-up in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting, he earned multiple Second-Team All-American nods. His overall production took a slight step back as a senior in 2024, but he still had 43 total tackles (23 solo), 10 for loss and 4.5 sacks. His 41.0 career tackles for loss ranks fifth in school history, while his 26.5 sacks comes in at sixth, and he was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Michael Gonzalez

Position: Offensive Lineman
UofL Career Stats: 47 games

One of just two offensive linemen taken in this class, Gonzalez had an efficient four-year career at Louisville. He cracked the rotation immediately, playing in 12 games between left and right tackle and even making one start as a true freshman. The next season, he played in all 13 games and made six starts, taking reps at every spot on the line but center. He was pencilled in as the starting left guard in 2023, giving up zero sacks in 14 games and 490 pass blocks reps. Gonzalez once again gave up no sacks in 13 starts and 457 pass block reps at left guard, earning an All-ACC honorable mention. In 2,919 total blocking snaps across 52 games and 34 starts, he allowed just four sacks and 55 total pressures.

Aaron Gunn

Position: Offensive Lineman
UofL Career Stats: One game

Gunn was the other offensive lineman, but didn't have nearly the career that Gonzalez did. He redshirted his first season, only played in one game in 2022, then transferred. He spent the 2023 season at James Madison, then his last two years in college at Duquesne.

Jackson Hamilton

Position: Linebacker
UofL Career Stats (27 games): 16 tackles (seven solo), one pass breakup.

Originally a safety coming out of high school, Hamilton played his fair share of games at Louisville, but couldn't quite carve out a significant role in the linebacker rotation. He played just two games as a true freshman, then 12 in 2022 and 13 in 2023, logging 11 tackles and a pass breakup in that final season. Hamilton would then hit the portal and play his final two seasons at Georgia Tech.

Ahmari Huggins-Bruce

Position: Wide Receiver
UofL Career Stats (49 games): 98 receptions for 1,390 yards and 10 touchdowns; 11 rushes for 67 yards and one score.

Huggins-Bruce had an interesting career arc. He was an impact playmaker right out of the gates, catching 29 passes for 44 yards and four scores as a true freshman. Huggins-Bruce remained a rotational piece in the wide receiver room over the next two seasons, but couldn't quite breakout. He had 31 catches for 365 yards and two scores in 2022, then 20 catches for 312 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. He entered the portal after his junior season, transferred to South Carolina, only to withdraw from the Gamecocks and re-enroll at UofL just before the start of the 2024 season. It took some time for him to get back up to speed, and he wound up catching 18 passes for 239 yards in his final season in college.

T.J. Lewis

Position: Quarterback
UofL Career Stats (One game): No stats.

Lewis was the line high school quarterback in the 2021 cycle to commit to Louisville, and he had a short-lived collegiate career. He only played one game as a true freshman, transferred to Georgia Southern and converted to wide receiver after one season with UofL, but only spent one season with the Eagles before getting out of football.

Victor Mullen

Position: Tight End
UofL Career Stats (Zero games): No stats.

Mullen did not play a single snap in his two seasons at Louisville, and was out of football entirely afterwards.

Bralyn Oliver

Position: Safety.
UofL Career Stats (Zero games): No stats.

Oliver signed during the early signing period, but he never even made it to his first year at Louisville, as he entered the portal during the second week of fall camp leading up to his true freshman season. He later played the 2022 season at Syracuse, spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Florida A&M, then suited up for South Carolina State in his final year of college this past season.

Christian Pedersen

Position: Tight End
UofL Career Stats (Zero games): No stats.

Pedersen spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Louisville, but did not see the field. He transferred to FIU, but after barely seeing the field there in 2023, he then hit the portal again and played his final two seasons in college at Morehead State.

Benjamin Perry

Position: Linebacker/Safety
UofL Career Stats (42 games): 132 tackles (74 solo), 10 for loss, two sacks, eight pass breakups, one forced fumble.

Not only is Perry the only player in Louisville's 2021 class that is still active, he's one of two players to leave the Cardinals only to come back for his final season. Following a quiet true freshman campaign, he broke out in 2022, tallying 43 tackles (31 solo) and three pass breakups in 13 games and 11. Brohm tabbed him as the starter at STAR in 2023, and he put together a career year that season, finishing with 56 tackles (26 solo), 6.5 for loss, a sack and four pass breakups in 14 starts. However, Antonio Watts took over as the starter here for 2024, and while Perry saw ample time as his backup (playing ing 12 total games), his production was cut in half. He then transferred to UCLA following the season, but only played one game after suffering an undisclossed injury. He secured a medical waiver, hit the portal again, and is set to play the 2026 season back with UofL.

T.J. Quinn

Position: Linebacker
UofL Career Stats (54 games): 289 tackles (123 solo), 15.0 for loss, five sacks, seven pass breakups, three interceptions, one fumble recovery.

The son of former Louisville RB/DB Terry Quinn and originally a safety coming out of high school who was barely ranked inside the top-1000, Quinn wound up becoming one of Louisville's most prolific tacklers this century, leading the team in this category in his final three seasons. He had a quiet true freshman season and was a rotational 'backer in 2022, then broke out in year one under Brohm, collecting 92 tackles (34 solo) in 14 starts. Quinn wasn't as efficient in 2024 (82 tackles in 13 starts), but then saved his best for last. This past season in 13 starts, he tallied 95 tackles (45 solo), eight for loss, three sacks, two interceptions and four pass breakups - all of which are career-highs. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, but signed a UDFA deal with the Green Bay Packers.

R.J. Sorensen

Position: Defensive End
UofL Career Stats (Three games): Zero stats.

Sorensen spent three years at Louisville, but only played three total in-game snaps, and was out of football after the 2023 season.

Mark Vassett

Position: Punter
UofL Career Stats (26 games): 101 punts for 4,368 yards (43.2 average)

Joining Louisville by way of Melbourne, Australia, Vassett is one of the best statistical punters in program history. He logged 49 punts for 2,047 yards (41.8 average) in 2021, then followed that up with 52 punts for 2,321 yards, with his 44.6 average setting a single-season school record. His 43.2 yard average is a Louisville career record for players with at least 100 punts, and has two of the 10 longest punts in school history (73 and 68 yards). Surprisingly, he hit the portal after his sophomore season, playing his final two years for Deion Sanders at Colorado.

Kani Walker

Position: Cornerback
UofL Career Stats (Four games games): One tackle.

Walker had a brief stint with Louisville, only playing four games to preserve his redshirt, then opting to transfer. He followed that up with a successful three-year run at Oklahoma, then had a career year this past season at Arkansas, one where he logged 52 tackles, 11 pass breakups and a pick-six.

Shavarick Williams

Position: Safety
UofL Career Stats (One game): Zero stats.

A JUCO product from Southwest Mississippi Community College, Williams only played five snaps in his first season at Louisville, then didn't see any action in year two. He spent his final two seasons in college at Murray State as a wide receiver.

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