Louisville football: Newest QB target drawing comparisons to Lamar Jackson

Scott Satterfield and the Louisville football program are looking to build a special class for 2020. Could three-star quarterback Gregory Spann be in the Cards?

The Louisville football recruiting hot streak has been one to marvel at over the last few weeks as they’ve secured numerous commitments in the class of 2020 and even one in the class of 2019.

Scott Satterfield and his staff are hoping to continue that trend moving forward, and could land multiple more recruits over the coming weeks.

One of the players that the Cards coaching staff hopes to secure a commitment from is three-star, dual-threat quarterback, Gregory ‘Deuce’ Spann.

The 6’4, 195-pound quarterback, who hails from Saint Petersburg, Florida, was offered by Louisville back in 2018 and had his offer “reaffirmed” by the new Cardinal staff this year.

As one of the most dynamic players in the entire state of Florida, Spann holds offers programs across every conference including Georgia, Miami, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Maryland, Flordia State, and South Florida.

The Cards have clearly made an impression on him, as he announced his top six schools last evening via Twitter, including Louisville along with Duke, Ole Miss, Florida State, Central Florida, and Illinois.

It’s not hard to see why the new coaching staff has a heavy interest in Spann. When you turn on his highlights, you quickly can see a link to a past Louisville player, that being Lamar Jackson.

While Jackson is a once in a generation type of talent, Spann shows the elite athleticism and speed that we were so accustomed to seeing from the Heisman Trophy winner, while also possessing really nice arm strength and accuracy.

He hears and sees the comparisons as well, and when you look through the tweets & retweets of Spann, you see his timeline filled with Lamar Jackson videos.

When speaking on his game and the type of quarterback he is to CanesInsight.com, Spann said:

"“I’m a dual threat QB and a lot of people and coaches compare me to Lamar Jackson.”"

For Louisville fans, those aren’t comparisons that should be taken lightly. It’s not just the speed and dynamic throwing that you see in Spann’s game that is comparable to Lamar, but it’s his mentality and toughness that take the comparisons to the next level. At just 195-pounds, the soon to be senior quarterback isn’t afraid of contact. In fact, he looks for it, just like Jackson did and still does.

Lakewood high school head coach Cory Moore described Spann as a kid who can throw the ball but prefers to run. He told the Tampa Bay Times,

"“He’s not afraid of contact so that’s why he likes to run. I’m trying to teach him that it’s better for his longevity to rely on his arm. He throws the ball so fluidly.”"

Like Jackson, Spann has incredible stats over the course of his high school career and is constantly setting high goals for himself. Heading into his junior season he said he wanted to pass for 2,000 yards and run for another 1,000, something Louisville fans have seen before, a goal that he nearly reached.

This past season, Spann threw for nearly 2,000 yards (1,800) in just 12 games, while rushing for another 880 yards and scored a combined 22 touchdowns.

He has some struggles with interceptions, throwing double digits in 2018, and has a tendency to rely on his legs rather than drop back in the pocket and diagnose plays before taking off. All are correctable issues, and clearly, haven’t affected coaches from offering him left and right.

His teammates and coaches believe Spann can make all the throws necessary to be a successful college quarterback, and while there’s still a lot of improvement to made in his game, the raw talent is there and it’s there in bunches.

If there’s one thing that should excite Louisville fans about the game of Gregory Spann II, it’s his confidence in himself and willingness to do whatever it takes to win. Spann said,

"“I’d say I’m a dual-threat. I like to run more than I like to throw. I can throw, but I like to score. But really, I just like to win.”"

Louisville will now look to get Spann up to campus for an official visit before he makes his final decision sometime this year. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out with the Cards squarely in the mix for four-star dual-threat QB Chubba Purdy as well as three-star Anthony Romphf.