Louisville football: 4 recruits who could close out the 2020 class
By Jacob Lane
Yaya Diaby
247 Sports: 3-star – National ranking: 32 (JUCO), Position ranking: 4, Georgia ranking: 2
Yaya Diaby is a name that we’ve been paying close attention to after he visited Louisville for a VIP weekend and his teammates Marvin Dallas and Trevor Reid both pulled the trigger on their commitments.
While it’s been several months since Diaby was on campus, the Louisville staff has continued to stay in touch with the three-star JUCO defensive end and there’s still a good chance that he wears the red and black next season.
Since Louisville got involved with Diaby back in the spring/summer, several new schools have gotten involved including Colorado and West Virginia, and it looks like Louisville could have some competition down the stretch.
As Jody Demling wrote about a few weeks back, Diaby is scheduled to take his first official visit to Louisville for senior day against Syracuse (which could be a huge game for Louisville’s bowl chances). He’s a graduating JUCO player so he’ll be able to enroll in January, which means that a decision on where he’ll play his college ball should come shortly after his visit to Louisville.
Diaby has elite intangibles and still somehow has flown under the radar playing for Georgia Military College. He has a lethal combination of size and speed combo and he fits perfectly in Louisville’s 3-4 scheme due to his explosiveness, long arms, high motor, ability to bend off the edge while having natural football instincts.
In 10 games this season Diaby leads Georgia Military College with 54 total tackles (42 solo) and he’s also accumulated 16 tackles for loss, 5 sacks and a forced fumble for a defense that has multiple power five players.
Diaby’s visit will be crucial for Louisville with him also scheduled to head to West Virginia for an official visit sometime before the early signing period commences. For Louisville, Diaby would provide a perfect plug and play replacement for Amonte Caban, who will graduate at the conclusion of the 2019 season.
As a JUCO player with playing experience, Diaby is not only likely to receive a ton of snaps where ever he lands right away but also could become a starter and difference-maker as a junior at the college football level next season.