Louisville football recruiting: Cards making a late push for four-star DE

Scott Satterfield and the Louisville football staff are turning up the heat on a four-star defensive end with a pretty familiar last name.

It’s been fairly quiet on the recruiting front for Louisville football following their massive haul during the Early Signing Period that featured 25 signees and over 15 early enrollees.

Now the Cards will focus on getting ready for spring practice while strategizing a plan on how to fill their final three to four scholarships in the class of 2020. Last week we took a look at a few graduate-transfers who could help out the Cards should head coach Scott Satterfield decide to go that route again, but as of now those players just remain potential targets.

It looks like Louisville will continue playing the field with the players available in the class of 2020 coming out of high school and the junior college ranks looking to fill several more holes within the roster. Louisville landed several players in the early signing period who should be able to step in and contribute right away, but there are still more needs.

While the Cardinal staff did a great job of filling the openings in the “trenches” on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, there’s still a need for guys on both sides who can provide the depth that Louisville desperately needs.

What this class also seems to be missing following the decommitment of quarterback Chubba Purdy is a headline for the top of the class. Something to give the group a little more punch nationally. The Louisville recruiting staff did an incredible job of identifying players who fit their scheme and come with the right intangibles inducive for winning, but currently, Louisville has only one four-star player committed.

That could change if Scott Satterfield and company get their way, as they’ve jumped into the recruitment of four-star top 150 defensive end Demon Clowney with a splash. If you’re a football fan, the last name may ring a bell as his older cousin is former number one overall pick Jadaveon Clowney, who currently suits up for the Seattle Seahawks.

Ranked as the 8th best weakside defensive end in the class of 2020 per 247 Sports, Clowney has recently started hearing from the Louisville coaching staff following his decommitment from LSU back in December. Rather than signing at the early period, Clowney decided to stretch his recruitment out to allow for more schools and it’s allowed for Louisville, Miami, and Ole Miss to get involved.

The 247 Sports evaluation of Clowney details what makes him a top player in the class of 2020 and the best available player for the Cardinals at this point.

"Ideal frame for 3-4 outside linebacker or 4-3 defensive end. Can easily carry 245 pounds. Cousin of Jadeveon Clowney. Athletic, long and quick in short spaces. Fires off quickly at snap. Bends well to win leverage. Covers large spaces in a few steps. Flexibility to dip shoulder and explode around edge. Disruptive in the backfield. Hand speed is excellent. Chases plays down from behind. Moves well laterally. Needs more upper body strength. Has to work on consistency with pass rushing technique. Must work on ability to drop into coverage. Could be an impact player. Should develop into a mid-round NFL draft selection"

Clowney was not a name that I had on the board during the early period from Louisville and at this point the only way we really know about Louisville’s involvement is from a small blurb in an article on Clowney trending to Ole Miss from OM Spirit’s David Johnson. He wrote,

"We’re in lock-step with the national perspective that Demon Clowney is going to cast his lot with the Ole Miss rebels in a few weeks. The confidence level on that seems to grow daily. However, we do believe Louisville is a factor and we most certainly believe others could become more involved as things play out."

Louisville will add a ton of talent on the defensive end, but as we’ve come to learn watching teams like Alabama, LSU, and Georgia; you can never have too many defensive ends. The Cards will lose defensive end Amonte Caban and G.G. Robinson to graduation along with several other role players, so a pass-rush the caliber of Clowney is desperately needed.

With SEC programs hot on the trail it’s hard to imagine Louisville being able to pull the late steal. However, Satterfield and company have shown that they can aggressively go after the players they want.

If Louisville is able to get Clowney on campus in the next couple of weeks before the final signing period in Feburary it could signal that the Cards are a serious player. They have plenty of playing time to offer, which should attract a young player, as well as the opportunity to play for a rising ACC program.

Clowny currently has no reported timeline, but his recruitment is one to watch moving forward.