Louisville football: Cards hoping to be the choice for four-star athlete

Louisville football will be one of the hats on the table when one 2020 four-star athlete makes his college decision.

All has been quiet for Louisville football on the recruiting front over the last few weeks due to the recruiting dead period following last month’s early signing period. Now that-that is nearly lifted, Scott Satterfield and the Cards are preparing to get back to work on finalizing the 2020 recruiting class.

With as many as four spots available to be filled in this class, the staff has their options of what they want to do moving forward. We highlighted a few graduate-transfers who could be good fits for the Cards should the staff decide to go route, as well as a top-100 defensive end who ultimately ended up committing to Ole Miss (as expected).

Louisville still has a few needs that should be addressed, especially in the trenches on both sides of the ball and in the secondary. However, one position that won’t need filling is at running back, Unless a player of a certain caliber becomes an option. Regardless of your situation, when a dynamic athlete who can be a game-changer presents himself as an option, you absolutely have to take a look.

That’s the case with four-star athlete Corey Wren, a former Georgia commit, who announced just a few weeks ago that the Cards had made his top five along with a few other national powers including Oklahoma, TCU, Florida State, and Oklahoma State.

Wren was supposed to announce his decision on February 5th, but apparently he felt he didn’t need to wait as he announced he’d instead be committing on Sunday of this week.

https://twitter.com/CoreyLWren/status/1220093901379379200

Hailing from New Orleans, LA, an area that staff has really highlighted during the 2020 cycle, Wren is an elite level athlete with incredible speed who doubles as a track star running the 100-meter dash. Wren is mostly being recruited as a running back, albeit an undersized one, and no matter where he lands will have the ability to see the field right away.

At 5’9, 170-pounds Wren easily fits the mold of that of Javian Hawkins, who we all know was a revelation for the Cardinal staff in 2019 running for 1,533 yards and nine touchdowns – becoming the first running back to eclipse 1,000 yards since Bilal Powell in 2010. While other programs may shy away from a back the size of Wren, Louisville and Norvel McKenzie have continued to show the dynamic athlete what he could be inside of a system that has turned Hawkins into a legitimate Heisman dark horse candidate in 2020.

The evaluation of Wren from 247 Sports reads:

"Undersized offensive athlete with limited height and frame who compensates with athleticism. Ample experience at running back but owns the build of a slot receiver. Flashes electric, dynamic speed. Bona fide track star with several sub-11.00 100-meter times, including 10.41, as a junior. Speed manifests on the field. Explosive initial burst. Reaches top speed in a hurry. Serious home run-hitting long speed. Doesn’t need to gear down much at all when changing direction. Could move around formation to diversify personnel packaging. Elite return game option. Running back in split-back veer in high school so learning curve to a potential receiver role could be significant. All-purpose back role also a definite possibility in college. Limited pass-catching opportunities and route-running experience. Must add bulk to maintain durability. Legitimate Power 5 prospect who is raw technically but possesses game-breaking speed and athleticism that will get him on the field."

The bottom line for Louisville on landing Wren is they would be getting the star/headliner for the class of 2020 that they really need. While the class is extremely solid and should be a group that produces multiple starters and potential NFL Draft picks, it is still missing a name that stands out.

Wren is an incredible player and the offers and interest he’s received show that. Playing for John Curtis High School, Wren totaled 1,146 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in 2019 including another 132 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

He is a player who could easily slide into the role as the starting running back, or the second back, following what could very well be Hawkins’ final year at Louisville in 2020, and be productive from day one.

At this point, there’s really no way to say for sure where Wren will land on Sunday when he makes his decision public, but a commitment to Louisville would only continue to show the progress Satterfield and staff are making in pursuit of excellence.