Louisville Football Recruiting: A Look Back at the 2015 Class

Each week we’ll take a look back at previous Louisville football recruiting classes, and re-evaluate with what we know now.

Last week we started a new series looking back at each of the four recruiting classes that have signed to play for the Louisville football program, since Bobby Petrino took over as head coach in 2014.

The Cards have achieved a great deal of success over the last four years as we mentioned, going a combined 34-18 since 2014. Not only has the team had great success, but a handful of the players have achieved individual success as well.

A lot of that success stems from this class.

Heading into 2015 signing day we knew this class had the potential to be special. Former Big 12 freshman of the year Devonte Fields, three star athlete and burner Traveon Samuel, and a highly regarded dual threat QB by the name of Lamar Jackson, headlined the class. However, little did we know that this class would produce multiple under the radar players who would prove to be crucial to the success for the Cardinals for years to come. No one would have ever imaged that a Heisman Trophy would have come out of this class, and potentially the greatest college football player of all time.

Just like last week we’ll hand out some superlatives to this recruiting class, including, biggest hit, biggest miss, biggest surprise, and look at what could have been.

Here we go!

Football Recruiting Class – 2015 (According to Rivals)

Devnate Peete, WR – 4 star

Lamar Jackson, QB – 4 star

Devonte Fields, DE – 4 star

Jeremy Smith, RB – 3 star

Geron Christian, OL – 3 star

Jaire Alexander, CB – 3 star

Jonathan Greenard, DE – 3 star

Khalil Hunter, OL – 3 star

Drew Bailey, DT – 3 star

Paul Harris, WR – 3 star

James Allen, RB – 3 star

Kenny Thomas, OL – 3 star

Chandler Jones, OL – 3 star

Khane Pass, DB – 3 star

Kiola Mahoni, OL – 3 star

G.G. Robinson, DE – 3 star

Traveon Samuel, WR – 3 star

Tim Bonner, DE – 3 star

Dee Smith, DB – 3 star

Emonee Spence, WR – 3 star

Amonte Caban, LB – 3 star

Jalen Smith, WR – 2 star

Trey Smith, ATH – 2 star

Cole Hikutini, TE – 2 star

Jamari Staples, WR – Transfer (UAB)

Grade: A+

Need a good laugh today, because I have a great joke.. Here it goes… According to Rivals.com, Louisville’s 2015 class was ranked 32nd overall. YES, 32nd overall. Though this class has had two first rounders, one third rounder, and several others go on to play in the NFL, this class wasn’t even inside the top 25.

How? That’s ‘crootin for ya.

The class of 2015 had everything you could ask for as far as a recruiting class goes. Star power at the top in Devonte Fields (4 star), a well known name with a troubled past looking for a second chance. Several four star dynamic skill position players, beef upfront on both sides of the ball, a quality transfer (who was eligible right away I remind you), and of course a handful of players who were grossly under valued that would turn out to be star players, and quality contributors for the Cards.

When you look back, it’s hard to imagine how players like Lamar Jackson and Jaire Alexander could be rated so low, but more than anything it once again makes you appreciate the eye Bobby Petrino has for talent. This class was loaded with talent all the way through, from top-to-bottom.

When asked about the 2015 class, CardinalSports.com Recruiting Expert, Chris Person, had this to say;

"“The 2016 Heisman Winner (Lamar Jackson) could almost single-handedly make the 2015 recruiting class a success, but it was really the middle of the pack that separated that class from the rest. Four players in particular, Jaire Alexander, Jaylen Smith, Geron Christian and Jonathan Greenard, were at the most mid 3-star prospects (except Smith who was a 2-star) that have either played, or are playing, like 5-star prospects. Behind this group are a slew of others who have contributed a significant amount including guys like Khane Pass, GG Robinson, Kenny Thomas, and Dee Smith. One interesting component to this this particular class was how well Louisville recruited the junior college ranks. Just from the one class alone, the JUCO guys that included Devonte Fields, Cole Hikutini, Drew Bailey, and Jeremy Smith, all were very productive in their time with the Cardinals.”"

It doesn’t get any better than that when it comes to recruiting. While of course the dream is to have a class made up of the most talented five or star talent, but only a few schools are able to do that. With Louisville looking to make a huge jump in the ACC, while competing with the Clemson’s and Florida State’s, they had to get creative with where they got players, and make sure that every one of them would make an impact.

Biggest Hit: Lamar Jackson

As Chris pointed out, in the majority of recruiting services lists, Lamar Jackson was considered to be the prize recruit for the Cards. However, no one, I mean literally no one, saw the success that was soon to come from the Boynton Beach, Florida product.

In just three years, and only 38 games, Lamar Jackson left the University of Louisville holding an incredible 42 school records. We’d have to spend quite some time ranking them all, but here are just a few,

Total Yards (13, 175 yards, 9,043 passing, 4,132 rushing)
Total yards per game (346.7)
Consecutive 300 yard games of total offense (13)
Rushing yards by a TD (4,132)
Games with 300 yards of total offense (27)
Rushing yards (4,132 yards)
Rushing touchdowns (50)
Touchdowns scored (50)
First QB in Louisville & NCAA history with back-to-back 3,000/1,000 yard seasons
Touchdowns responsible for (119, 50 rushing, 69 passing)
Heisman Trophy Winner
Maxwell Award Winner
Associated Press National POY
ACC offensive player of the year (2x – first ever)
ACC Player of the Year

The impact that Jackson had on the Louisville program is so far beyond star ratings, it becomes almost impossible to describe. Coming to Louisville gave Jackson an opportunity that likely many other places wouldn’t have offered, which was immediate playing time and the ability to grow each season without being replaced.

In his first career game in the Georgia Dome against Auburn, Jackson was inserted on the FIRST PLAY of the game, where he was given the opportunity to throw on a trick play (that pass was intercepted). It only took a little over a quarter before Reggie Bonnafon was yanked, and Jackson was given the opportunity to take over. Louisville fans saw a small glimpse of what was soon to come, and no one was prepared for it.

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Though he struggled mightily during his first season, at times, Jackson was extremely coachable and got better and better and better over each game and year-by-year. Game in and game out, he did things that no one had ever seen before, and at times single handily led the Cards to victories.

Jackson did incredible things on the field, and off the field as a Cardinal, leading the school to an incredible run, only coming up a few games short of having a chance to make the playoffs. At times Jackson seemed to have to do everything, as his offensive line, skill positions, and even defenses struggled. However, the kid never quit, no matter how bad things were and most importantly he never blamed anyone. He showed others what it meant to work, and he literally got better every time he stepped on the field.

Beating out Florida, Florida State, Clemson, Auburn and several other blue blood programs could be the biggest win of Bobby Petrino’s career.

Runner up: Jaire Alexander

Third place: Geron Christian

Biggest Miss: Emonee Spence

This was a hard one to pick, as just about every player in the class has achieved some level of success. My final choices came down to Emonee Spence, Jeremy Smith, and Khalil Hunter.

All three players came in as three star players, two of them being JUCO players, and were expected to do big things for Bobby Petrino and the Cardinals. Of the three, across all recruiting services, Spence was the highest rated recruit, and has yet to make any sort of impact. Spence committed to the Cards over some big name programs, including Miami, USC, Auburn, and Mississippi State. This raised expectations for a lot of fans, and the coaches as well.

Through two seasons on the field (he’s been on campus for 3 years) Spence has totaled just 6 receptions for 55 yards. Just months after getting on campus and going through team workouts, Bobby Petrino praised the work of Spence, which set the expectations into a place that would be hard to live up to (think Javonte Bagley praise/expectations).

Petrino told the Courier Journal, “We’re really excited about Emonee Spence. He can really run, he’s got great movement, and he’s going to be able to get open.”

Spence has dealt with injury during his time at Louisville, and has had to play behind a lot of talent including James Quick, Jamari Staples, Traveon Samuel, Jaylen Smith, Dez Fitzpatrick, and the list goes on and on.

Though he’s only a redshirt junior and could still be an impact player before he leaves campus, Spence will have a hard time ever being labeled anything more than a “miss.”

Runner up: Devante Peete

Third place: Khalil Hunter

Biggest Surprise: Jaire Alexander

On February 22, 2014, 3 star defensive back Jaire Alexander committed to the Charlotte football program. On April 26, 2018 Jaire Alexander was drafted with the 18th pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. What happened in between those two dates makes Jaire Alexander’s career at Louisville “the biggest surprise.”

The 2016 Heisman Winner (Lamar Jackson) could almost single-handedly make the 2015 recruiting class a success, but it was really the middle of the pack that separated that class from the rest.

After committing from Charlotte, Alexander saw his recruitment pick up a little bit and eventually ended up committing to South Carolina before eventually ending up at Louisville.

Alexander was given the opportunity to play during his freshman season, showing that he had a lot more potential to be an impact player than maybe was expected. Then in his second season, Alexander exploded, becoming one of the best defensive backs in the entire country.

The 6’0 corner showed the ability to cover bigger, stronger receivers at an elite level, while displaying NFL quality ball skills. He would go on to finish with 39 tackles, 5 pass deflections, and 5 interceptions. He also did this, which could go down as the best celebration in Cardinals history, and was alone worth another two stars next to his name.

While his junior season didn’t go as many expected due to injury, when he was on the field, Alexander’s impact was instantly noticeable.

During his three years at Louisville Alexander became one of the greatest defensive backs to ever put on a Louisville uniform, and once again showed the eye for talent from Bobby Petrino.

Runner up: Jaylen Smith

Third place: Cole Hikutini

Biggest What If: Traveon Samuel

I will say it as long as anyone will listen, Bobby Petrino did not utilize the talent that was Traveon Samuel correctly. In fact, he completely whiffed, never being able to find the right role to get the 5’7 athlete/speedster/play maker going, during his three years as a member of the Louisville Cardinals.

Samuel came into the program as a three star (Rivals) and ranked as high as a four star by some recruiting sites (174 overall) and was being praised for his speed and ability to make plays at just about any position on the field.

Though he had his moments, Samuel never lived up to the expectations that were set before him, and in my opinion to no fault of his own.

It seemed like each fall leading into the season, there was palpable buzz around Samuel’s development in the summer and how big of a difference maker he could be. Each season, Samuel only saw the field in certain situations and was never really put in a place to succeed.

This may not be a popular opinion, as there is always two sides of the story but I can’t be forced to believe that maybe Bobby Petrino just never really knew how to use him.

You look at a guy like Donnell Pumphrey at San Diego State, who broke numerous records at running back, Jakeem Grant, Jamison Crowder, and plenty of others, who though they were small in stature, where used in a big way for their respective team.

Had Samuel gotten the opportunity, I believe he still would have been in the program, rather than transferring for his final season.

Runner up: Tim Bonner

Third place: James Allen

The 2015 class, which was the first “true” class from Bobby Petrino, turned out to be his best thus far and it’s not even close. The talent from top to bottom, the ability to establish pipelines in key states, and dig through the haystack to find multiple needles, all set Louisville up for years to come.

Though guys like Jackson and Alexander were never able to get over the hump and claim an ACC title, the impact that they left on the program is already playing a huge part in helping the Cards win on the recruiting trail and get the players needed to make that jump.

Next week we’ll take a look at the 2016 class, one that still has nearly the entire class on the field making a week-by-week impact for Bobby Petrino and the Louisville Cardinals football program.

Next: Three Reasons Lamar Jackson Will Start in 2018