Scott Satterfield Breaks Down Louisville's Remaining 2022 Recruiting Needs
(Photo of Scott Satterfield: Jeremy Brevard - USA TODAY Sports)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - They might have gotten a later start in the Class of 2022 than most other college football programs, but Louisville's efforts out on the recruiting trail are starting to come to fruition. The Cardinals are now up to a two-man class in the current recruiting cycle, landing both quarterback Khalib Johnson and defensive end Popeye Williams in the last couple weeks.
With Louisville continuing to get in the mix for numerous prospects on a daily basis, combined with the dead period nearing its end, it's only a matter of time before more the program lands their next verbal pledge. But what positions do they need to be pursuing the most?
Related: A Look at Louisville Football's 2021 Roster
First, it's important to understand how many scholarships Louisville even has available for the class. Normally, programs sign between 20 and 25 high school prospects in any given class, maybe more depending on that program's scholarship count.
This class, however, is not normal. Many seniors, who normally would have already moved on, decided to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA due to COVID-19. The problem is that, unlike basketball, the NCAA is expected to count these 'super seniors' against the 85-man count.
Even when you take into account the natural attrition that will occur at the end of the 2021 season, such as transfers, graduations, and players declaring for the NFL, and Louisville is not expected to have a bunch of available scholarships. In fact, head coach Scott Satterfield says that he thinks they will only have "10-12" available for high school signees.
"It's very limited in our scholarship numbers. Fans and people out there are asking, "what are you guys doing?" Well, we're very active in our recruiting," Satterfield said last month. "We're very particular in what we're going to be taking this year, as it pertains to scholarships. I know that's a big talking point out there that I've been hearing about."
That being said, what positions should the staff put a premium on over others, especially in a class where you might sign only five high school players on each side of the ball? Fortunately, Satterfield has a plan.
Like in the previous class, the third year coach said that Louisville's biggest area of need is in the secondary. So much so that they are looking to sign "three, potentially four" defensive backs alone. Considering they already have a defensive commit in Williams, that very well could wrap up that side of the ball.
Satterfield knows exactly what type of defensive back he wants, too. He said they are hoping to bring in a lot more that have the 6-foot-1, 190-pound body type so that it can give Louisville some versatility in the secondary.
"If you get some length, guys that can run, then you can start plugging them in at safety, corner, our card position of outside backer, so there's a lot of versatility there," he said. He also noted that it will be interesting to monitor the incoming freshmen defensive backs, and how their role/position will adapt.
Over on the offensive side of the ball, Satterfield says that offensive line is what they are focusing on the most. They're specifically looking at offensive tackles, and are hosting several for official visits this summer once the dead period ends.
The secondary positions of need over on offense, according to Satterfield, are both running back and wide receiver. He also noted that they want to sign a quarterback every year, but have already addressed that need with Johnson.
The current mandatory recruiting dead period, which has been in place since Mar. 2020 due to COVID-19, is set to end next month on Jun. 1. The program plans on taking full advantage of being able to host recruits on campus in various capacities.
Related: Louisville Football Capitalizing on Resumption of In-Person Recruiting
"We're going to bring in probably 10 to 12 recruits each weekend during that time. We're also going to have camps this summer," he said. "We haven't seen recruits on campus in so long - a year and a half - so we can't wait for that."
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