Louisville football: 3 ways Scott Satterfield & Chris Mack are similar
By Jacob Lane
Unwavering recruiting standards
Both Mack and Satterfield know exactly what they want on the recruiting trail, and not much is going to change their minds.
The perfect example of Mack’s recruiting preferences is the most recent player Louisville basketball reeled in. While the transfer portal becomes more and more complicated to sort through as the number of sit-out and graduate transfers increases year over year, Mack identified only a handful of players that would fit what he was looking for.
Other top-name schools like Maryland, Michigan State, and Texas Tech reportedly extended offers to dozens of the high profile transfers on the market. While Mack and his staff showed interest in some enticing names like Kevin Marfo and Justin Turner, there was one name that it was apparent that he truly wanted- Radford graduate Carlik Jones.
Mack was the very first coach to reach out to Jones, and even without Jones being able to meet the other players and staff in person, visit campus, or really go through any of the normal recruiting process, the decision was easy for him. Mack made him a priority. Jones was his guy and anyone else was an afterthought.
This strategy paid off for Louisville in the 2019 recruiting class when Mack landed a group of six top-name players who are perfect fits in his system. With very few exceptions (Jahmius Ramsey comes to mind) Louisville landed the players they wanted. However, in the 2020 class, this strategy yielded slightly less desirable results. The Cards swung and missed on a number of top players, leaving the staff to scramble a bit and find some talented contributors elsewhere.
Mack’s recruiting frustrated fans in the 2020 recruiting cycle, but as he develops a brand at Louisville, his straight forward approach will be accepted more and more. Landing Jones is the perfect example of what Mack and his staff are capable of.
Satterfield is much the same in his approach. His staff has high standards for players that they recruit, and not much is going to change that.
Dwayne Ledford on with @howielindsey this morning says "three things that will identify our play"
— Big Red Louie (@TheBigRedLouie) December 19, 2018
1. Speed off the ball, playing fast - "we will be fast"
2. Toughness - "We're going to be a tough group and put our hand in the dirt"
3. Finish - "we're going through the whistle"
The Louisville football staff has an unwavering high criteria for a recruit to meet.
The player must fit what they are looking for in their system, they must meet the standards they set in the locker room, and they must be above-average in the classroom.
Satterfield and offensive coordinator Dwayne Ledford have emphasized the importance of finding recruits who do the little things right. Personality that fits with the team, a respectful social media presence, and good grades are just as important as talent on the field.
The staff has made it clear that they are looking to develop men for years to come, regardless of if they end up playing professionally or not.