Scott Satterfield Looking to Add More Pieces Before 2021 Season
(Photo of Scott Satterfield: Jamie Rhodes USA TODAY Sports)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Over the offseason, the Louisville football program had a successful run out on the recruiting trail. Not only did they sign a 2021 recruiting class that ranks as one of the best on-paper classes in school history, but they welcomed a trio of transfers that can be day one contributors.
That being said, head coach Scott Satterfield might not be done adding more players into the fold. During his press conference following the conclusion of their spring ball schedule, the third-year head coach of the Cardinals said they could welcome more additions before the start of the 2021 season.
The catch, however, is that Louisville can't officially add anymore players to the roster until roughly a month before the season. The Cardinals are full on their 25-man limit for scholarship players added during the 2020-21 academic year, but that count will reset on Aug. 1. At that point, newcomers will be considered under the Class of 2022.
He said the program would keep their eyes open all across the recruiting board, but they are focusing specifically on three positions: safety, nose tackle and quarterback, with focus primarily fixated on the back end.
"(Safety) could be another position where we look to add another spot as we head this summer into August, just for the experience factor," Satterfield said Wednesday. "That's probably the youngest position that we have on our team."
He's not wrong. Out of the six safeties on scholarship, only Lovie Jenkins and Josh Minkins are returners, and both are only heading into their second year. Georgia Southern transfer Kendrick Duncan, as well as freshmen Benjamin Perry, Bralyn Oliver and TJ Quinn round out the safeties room.
Nose tackle is also a spot where there isn't much returning experience, mainly because Jared Goldwire took up so many of the snaps at that spot before declaring for the NFL. During spring ball, defensive line coach Mark Ivey said that it's a three-player race for the starting nose between Malik Clark, Dezmond Tell and Jared Dawson.
The real issue with nose tackle for Louisville at this point, is that there isn't a lot of mass at that position. Clark is the largest nose on the roster at 290 pounds, but the second-heaviest is Henry Bryant at 275. If Satterfield does bring in another nose tackle, he wants to directly address this issue.
"We have some guys, we got some young guys , and some little bit lighter guys we can put in there," he said. "But if there's something out there that we can find that's a 290, 300, 310-pound nose to kind of bring some experience in, we'd like to maybe do that."
While the program will be welcoming Nebraska transfer Luke McCaffrey and high school senior TJ Lewis next season, Satterfield said that Louisville might not be done bolstering the quarterback room. But he noted that it will be something the program takes a deeper look at once they arrive on campus this summer.
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.
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