Satterfield, Louisville Wanting to Continue Bolstering Recruiting Staff
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When Josh Heird first stepped in as the interim athletic director for the University of Louisville last December, his introductory press conference, as you can imagine, touched on a variety of topics.
One that, at the time, was a hot button topic was Scott Satterfield and his status as the head football coach. Heird stomped out all rumors of his potential dismissal by reiterating his commitment to Satterfield, and also expressing his desire to "give him every resource to be successful."
One way to assist, according to Heird, would be to "beef up" the staff in the recruiting department. Satterfield echoed those sentiments during the Early Signing Period, then doubled down on that stance when talking to the media following Saturday's practice.
"We're not where we need to be in the recruiting room. We got to continue to build that room out, to get more personnel," he said. "Comparing them to the ACC, we're not where a lot of schools in this conference are, as far as that goes in that room. It takes a commitment on our administration, but also us, to be able to go out and hire these guys, and bring them in into the fold."
Over the last few months, the Cardinals have had an incredible run out on the recruiting trail. In the 2022 cycle, they were able to land some quality prospects during the early signing period, as well as impact transfers in some positions of need. The program had an insane kickstart to the Class of 2023, currently sporting a top-ten class thanks in part to two of the biggest recruiting weekends in program history.
But as you can imagine based on Satterfield's comments, all this momentum came in spite of a relatively thin full-time recruiting staff. It featured Pete Nochta and Eron Hodges as recruiting coordinators, Caroline McMurry-Tart as the director of on-campus recruiting, with some help from student assistant Carter Wilson and graphic designer Clay Colvin - but that's it.
"We've all seen the fruits of the labor that that's happened over the last couple months in recruiting, and it's not going to stop," Satterfield said. "It's every single day. Like today, we had a ton of visitors here. We got to continue to build that out."
That staff also took a big blow this past week. Hodges, who had been with the program last summer, accepted a similar position at TCU. The role with the Horned Frogs carried a bigger emphasis on the coaching side of things, something that prompted the move for Hodges.
"He felt he had a great opportunity," Satterfield said. "At some point, he wants to coach. He wants to get on the field, and he felt that was an opportunity for that to happen. He did a great job for us while he's here."
Satterfield said that the program is already in the process of vetting candidates to fill Hodges' now-vacant position, and have even started the interview process on a few. Fortunately for Louisville, this process had started long before Hodges decided to leave for Fort Worth.
Earlier this month on the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast, Satterfield mentioned that the program had added former Florida director of player personnel John Herron to the recruiting staff. His addition has not yet been formally announced, although he is listed on Louisville's staff directory as a recruiting coordinator.
The Cardinals' 2023 class is quickly shaping up to be the best in the program history. The seven-member class is currently highlighted by St. John Bosco teammates quarterback Pierce Clarkson and Jahlil McClain, and Louisville is deep in the mix for several top 300 prospects.
(Photo of Scott Satterfield: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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