Louisville football: Bubba Chandler is Cards’ most intriguing prospect in years

Louisville football could have a chance to land a true two-sport prospect in 2021 football and baseball recruit Bubba Chandler.

The recruitment of new Louisville football prospect Bubba Chandler is an odd one, but a story that Cardinals fans should be following very closely.

A two-sport athlete out of Bogart, Georgia, the 6’4,” 195-pound Chandler committed to play baseball at Georgia back in June of 2019. For months after, Chandler was just committed to the Bulldogs with very little football attention- Particularly from power five programs.

However, since the middle of February, his football recruitment has started to heat up. He received offers from Elon, Mercer, Charlotte, WKU, and UNC Wilmington, among others.

Then, at the beginning of May, things began to escalate in a way that Chandler did not see coming. There was initial chatter that the Clemson football program was interested, and on May 7th, he received a call that he will likely never forget.

"“I was working all day in the yard, and I was tired. I fell asleep in my room around 9 p.m.” Chandler told Clemson247. “I woke up to a text from coach Streeter saying, ‘Hey man you need to FaceTime me.’ He told me I was going to talk to coach Swinney tonight. Things were going to happen fast. Then he said, ‘Talk to you later.’ I was like what? Then he hung up.”"

Over the last week, Chandler’s recruitment has become a whirlwind. He spoke with Swinney- coach of a Clemson program that has won two of the last four national titles, and has reeled in the No. 1 recruiting class over the last two years- and received an offer from the Tigers on May 7th. As a recruit that is unrated by every recruiting service and has been committed to only play baseball for over a year, that’s kind of a big deal.

Not only is Clemson the model of consistency over the last two years on the football field, but they have an excellent baseball program. The Tigers offered Chandler the opportunity to do both if he goes to Clemson.

That’s why on May 11th, Chandler de-committed from Georgia, stating that he was “opening up my recruitment to pursue my football and baseball career.”

On May 12th, Louisville officially reached out to Chandler. According to Cardinal Authority, Scott Satterfield and his staff had a virtual visit with Chandler and officially extended him an offer.

https://twitter.com/bubba_chandler1/status/1260297338020597769?s=20

Given that Chandler has made it clear that he de-committed from Georgia because there was not an opportunity to play football, and that he clarified that he is pursuing a place to play both sports, one would have to assume that the Cardinals baseball staff will be in on his recruitment as well. However, there has been no confirmation at this time that Dan McDonnell and company have reached out.

Still, Louisville offering Chandler should be seen as exciting news for Cards fans.

Don’t let the fact that he doesn’t have a recruiting profile fool you- Chandler can absolutely sling it.

At first glance, Chandler will remind fans of current Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence or his high school predecessor and current Cardinal, Tee Webb. He has a tall, this frame, but his athleticism is apparent right away, and his arm strength is ridiculous. Chandler shows that he is comfortable in the pocket and throws the deep ball like he is in the back yard with his buddies.

A cool customer when he is flushed out, Chandler demonstrates over and over the ability to roll out and make completions on the run. Chandler boasts a 4.59 40-yard dash time and a forty-inch verticle. He completed 76 percent of his passes as a junior. His mobility could be the most overlooked part of his game. Last season, he went over 500 yards rushing on only 51 carries.

Does Louisville football have a shot?

Louisville football should almost certainly have a chance to land Chandler, but perhaps not solely because of football.

Chandler is still a stud recruit on the baseball diamond as a pitcher and shortstop. He frequently posts videos on his social media of his fantastic repertoire on the mound, often hitting the upper 80’s on the radar gun.

While Clemson is clearly the better program on the football field, Louisville has the recruiting advantage on the diamond. When the college baseball season ended abruptly in the spring, Clemson sat at No. 24 in the D1 baseball rankings, while Louisville- who began the season at No. 1- was ranked 2nd. Louisville has a great deal of recent success and has been to five College World Series under Dan McDonnell including four in the last seven years.

Louisville is about the closest thing in baseball to what Clemson is in football. And though it doesn’t appear McDonnell and assistant head coach and pitching coach Roger Williams have met with Chandler yet, it almost certainly seems like they will. It would be a free scholarship spot for the Cardinal nine, and given his recruitment at Georgia, Chandler is likely a take for any program in the country.

Chandler says that going in the MLB Draft after his senior year is definitely on his mind, and passing up college to play in the major leagues is a possibility.

"“I want to be a first-round draft pick,” he told the Athens Banner-Herald. “I have a number in my head from what I want money-wise, and that’s $2 million. If I don’t get that, then I’ll go to college.”"

Though the Tigers have the upper hand in the football recruiting battle based on recent success, Clemson has a stockpile of talent waiting in the wings behind Lawrence. They just landed DJ Uiagalelei, the No. 1 QB in the class of 2020, and Taisun Phommachanh, the No. 4 duel threat QB in 2019.

Louisville could give Chandler the better chance to earn playing time on the football field and an opportunity for success at the highest level of college baseball.

Check out chandler’s highlights here.

Bubba Chandler Junior Season.