Louisville football misses on top cornerback but outlook remains positive

One of Louisville football’s top defensive targets officially is off the board.

The recruiting trail has been good to Scott Satterfield and the Louisville football staff this summer, even in the middle of a global pandemic. With a little over three and a half months to go until the early signing period, Louisville holds 24 total commitments from a class that ranks 20th nationally and fourth in the ACC, according to 247 Sports.

One player who won’t be apart of that class, at least as of now, is Duce Chestnut a four-star cornerback out of Camden, New Jersey, who officially came off the board over the weekend committing to Syracuse.

Chestnut was arguably the top cornerback on the board for Louisville throughout the recruiting process in the class of 2021 and things looked good for Bryan Brown and the Cards all the way up until the very end. The 5’11, 180-pound corner chose Syracuse over a group of four other contenders, including Louisville, Miami, Michigan State, and his hometown program, Rutgers.

Syracuse picks up 247 Sports’ 325th best player and 23rd best cornerback and a guy who would’ve been a great fit playing in Brown’s defensive system at Louisville. He’s the definition of a cover corner and combines great speed with a high football IQ and willingness to hit people.

Louisville made Chestnut a priority as they recruited to revamp their secondary, hoping to make him the premier guy at the position long-term. While landing him would’ve been huge, his commitment to Syracuse is by no means the end of the world or a reason for fans to hang their heads.

In fact, quite the contrary. Brown along with safeties coach Sha’Don Brown have been one of the best recruiting duos across all of college football landing multiple high level players at both safety positions and cornerback.

At corner specifically, Louisville was able to bring in Greedy Vance, Marqui Lowery, and Jamel Starks in the class of 2020 and any one of those freshmen could find their way into a starting role this season.

Also read: Louisville football’s 5 most intriguing games of 2020

In 2021 the staff has landed several more high-level impact players including Rance Conner at cornerback, who chose the Cards over Florida, LSU, Florida State, South Carolina and others. Joining forces with Vance, Starks, and Lowery, Conner gives the defense a lightning quick corner with a high football IQ who is capable of making plays on opposing receivers.

That was just the start. They also added Kani Walker, a former Boston College commit, who will bring great size and length to the lineup at 6’2, 194-pounds along with the speedy Derrick Edwards III.

Between the three players, Louisville will bring in speed, one-on-one coverage ability, versatility, high football IQ, and size which should begin to change the trajectory of the defense long-term.

Louisville’s secondary was much improved in 2019, following a disastrous 2018 campaign, and they project to be even better this season. Brown has always had defensives whose corners thrive at being able to force interceptions while also avoiding any big plays or blown coverages over the top of the field.

That wasn’t always the case in year one, as all three starters Anthony Johnson, Chandler Jones, and Marlon Character had their moments of struggle. With more time in Brown’s system and the injection of some high-level talent, the cornerback position should be one that becomes a big time strength for the Louisville defense.

Adding Chestnut to the fold in 2021 would’ve been huge for a staff already on a roll, but now they’ll have to go back to the drawing board and determine where to go next. The future is still very bright in Louisville, folks.