Why Louisville football can land a 5-star player in the 2020 class
Louisville football has never landed a 5-star player outside of the city of Louisville. Why the Cards could finally be in line to pick up one of the best players in the country in 2020.
5-star. One of the top 30 players in the nation. A game-changing recruit.
For Louisville football, the “5-star” guy is one of the only things eluding one of the most quickly rising programs in the country.
Sure, Louisville has had their share of slip-ups in the last two decades. But the Cards also own two BCS bowl game trophies. Louisville football has a Heisman trophy winner. And the Cards are consistently in the top 10 in the country in number of players drafted.
Louisville remains competitive in the facilities arms race, and under a new coaching staff, they will look to plant their flag and establish themselves officially as one of the best brands in college football.
Two things have separated Louisville football from the true blue bloods of college football. One is consistency. Louisville has catapulted into the top 10 and into national championship talks (or now, college football playoff talks) on multiple occasions, but in 2009, and then again in 2018, the Cards found themselves on the bottom tier of power 5 football.
Secondly, Louisville has to start landing top 25 recruiting classes consistently. A feat that has never been accomplished. The Cards hauled in the No. 27 class under Charlie Strong in 2011, and then landed the No. 30 class in 2018. However, the one thing that separates Louisville from some of the top schools is that they have never been able to land 5-star guys.
Louisville’s lone 5-star commit was Louisville Male’s Michael Bush, who was the No.11 overall player in the class of 2003. No one has to be reminded of how that went. Bush is one of the best players in program history. He is a Louisville icon that, were it not for injuries, would have been a mainstay in the NFL for years.
Must Read. Scott Satterfield is delivering on his promise. light
Louisville’s final task in order to return to and maintain relevancy is going to be to land high 4 star and 5 star players and, in turn, reel in top 25 classes.
The Cards have the facilities, they have the prestige, they now have the coaching staff- but maybe most importantly, Louisville has the opportunity.
That’s what expert recruiters Cort Dennison, Dwayne Ledford, Frank Ponce, and many others are going to be selling to recruits in the 2020 class and going forward. At Louisville, you have the opportunity to play in the largest chair back stadium in the country. You have the opportunity to compete against an ACC and tough non-conference schedule year in, and year out. You have the opportunity to get the best coaching, play in some of the best facilities, and most importantly- the chance to play right away.
That’s what Scott Satterfield’s staff will be selling to 5-star guys like Justin Flowe and Bryce Young– two players who unofficially visited Louisville on the first weekend in March.
It’s not an easy task to land a 5-star. In fact, some of the best teams don’t get 5-stars every year. In the 2019 class, teams like Florida, USC, Washington, and Notre Dame didn’t land any 5-star recruits, and most would consider them blue blood programs.
Still, it’s not out of Louisville’s reach. With the promise of hope around the corner, a few big-name recruits can make a world of difference for a team trying to re-establish their brand and get back to their winning ways.
Next. Louisville football: One player to watch at every position during spring. dark
Under new leadership, don’t put anything past the new Louisville football staff. Even feats that haven’t been accomplished since 2003.