Louisville football: Cards get commit during “great visit”

Louisville football received their fourth commitment of the 2020 class when Georgia defensive tackle Dezmond Tell pledged to the Cards.

For Louisville football head coach Scott Satterfield and company, their first year on the power five recruiting trail has proven difficult.

While many teams have double-digit commitments, the Cards have been a bit behind schedule in recruiting the 2020 class. That, of course, is to be expected from a first-year head coach who is still getting comfortable with a new gig, a new coaching staff, and all of the nuances that come with a different position.

However, things have begun to pick up a bit of late. Since the end of spring ball, it has been all hands on deck on the recruiting trail and it is beginning to pay dividends.

On Thursday, the Cards received an unofficial visit and got a commitment from Hampton, Georgia’s Dezmond Tell.

Tell says that he has around 20 offers so far, but his first power five offer was the one he wanted the most: an offer from the Cards. He grew up a Cards fan because his mother is from the area, and much of her family still resides in Louisville.

Though he is unrated, Tell doesn’t seem too interested in the recruiting hype. He doesn’t want to camp anywhere else, he doesn’t want to consider other offers or visit other schools. Tell just wants to be a Louisville Cardinal.

Don’t let the rating fool you either. Tell can play. Much like some of the players, the coaching staff brought in for the 2019 class, Tell is a bit undersized for a power five defensive tackle in charge of clogging up the middle. However, what he lacks in size at 6-2, 270-pounds, he makes up for with speed and agility.

You can check out his highlights here.

Tell wreaks havoc in opposing backfields, staying low and blowing up the opposing blocker. He uses his 4.87 40-yard dash time to explode into the backfield and often is successful at chasing down defenders. To put that speed into perspective, that’s about on pace with the what the best defensive tackles run at the NFL combine. Granted, when Tell gets to campus, a major emphasis will be places on gaining weight and being able to be a stopper up the middle. Still, it should be mentioned that Tell matches strength with speed- a perfect fit in defensive coordinator Bryan Brown’s scheme.

An unrated player isn’t going to turn heads in Louisville. But the Cards’s coaching staff doesn’t seem to care if a guy is a five star or a no star. They just want guys who will fit what they are doing and who they can mold into the type of player that will win them football games.

So, while fans will shake their heads in disagreement, Louisville football is going to keep doing their thing and see who disagrees two or three years down the road.

Run and “Tell” that.