Louisville football recruiting: Cards land defensive end RJ Sorensen

Sorensen makes four defensive ends in nine commits for Louisville football.

Have you heard? Louisville football is thin on the defensive line.

So much so that Scott Satterfield and the Cardinals staff is picking up defensive ends in the 2021 class like Bobby Petrino collected wide receivers.

Sure, there is a lot left to play out in this class, especially given that many recruits are hopping on board without even having stepped foot on campus. Still, Louisville football’s latest pick-up is yet another example of the staff identifying specific needs and brands of players that fit the Cardinal’s system and going out and getting them.

This time, defensive line coach Mark Ivey has reeled in his fourth defensive lineman verbal commitment of the class from RJ Sorensen of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The 6’4,” 245 pound rising senior is No. 940 nationally according to 247Sports, and chose the Cardinals over Nebraska, Kentucky, and Maryland among others.

Though Sorensen is Louisville’s fourth defensive line commit in this class, his game is far different than that of the previous three. Sorenson has a college-ready frame and a blossoming game to go along with it. He isn’t as explosive off the line of scrimmage, but he uses his size and strength to his advantage. After a quick look at his tape, you’ll find that he loves to be the aggressor at the line of scrimmage and bully his way into the opposing backfield.

Sorenson shows the ability to consistently identify passing downs and beat his man off the line. During his junior year, he showed the presence of mind to bat down multiple passes while engaged with a blocker. He does a fantastic job of getting to the ball carrier and finishing off plays. In fact, there’s not one play on his tape where he gets a hand on the ball carrier and isn’t at least in on a tackle.

One could speculate that Sorensen might end up playing inside when he gets to the next level. Given that he is already 6’4,” 245, he could very well bulk up and be a “tweener” size. If he continues to grow, Sorensen could be a perfect fit on Louisville’s three-man front, particularly in the middle in obvious passing situations.

Louisville is off to a fantastic start in this class, and a lot of that is thanks in part to a talented core along the front three on defense.

Catch Sorensen’s highlights here.

RJ Sorensen junior year.