Louisville football: Honoring the legacy of Dexter Rentz Jr.

Celebrating the life of Louisville football forever signee, Dexter Rentz.

Heading into what would’ve been his freshman year as a member of the Louisville football program, Dexter Rentz Jr. had already accomplished so much on the field.

The two-way Ocoee High School (FL) player still co-owns the Florida high school state record for most interceptions in one game, but this feat is puzzling when you look at the tale of the tape.

At Ocoee, the 5’9” speedster (who also ran track and field) was primarily relied upon as a receiver and even moonlighted at quarterback. So how in the world did he wind up with five single-game interceptions?

It’s really just a testament to his nose for the ball and athletic ability. One of Ocoee’s cornerbacks went down with an injury and the coaches plugged Rentz into action. Five picks. And he even returned one of his interceptions for a touchdown. He was a sophomore.

Flash forward; as a senior Rentz was named captain of his team, and tallied 1700 total yards of offense. His eye-popping stats and 4.5 40-yard dash time began turning heads.

He began receiving attention on the recruiting trail and eventually accumulated 25 scholarship offers. One of which being Louisville.

Rentz was beginning to form a family-type bond with Louisville players and coaches on both sides of the ball, even crediting Coach Bryan Brown for treating him like he was one of his own players.

Rentz was able to meet and hang out with some players on his unofficial visit to Louisville for the 2019 game against Boston College along with fellow Ocoee teammate Lovie Jenkins, who eventually signed with the Cards.

They were hanging out with now-Louisville freshman Josh Minkins, who showed them the essence of Louisville by driving them around the city.

Some players were able to spend time with Rentz on zoom calls because they were getting ready to report to campus.

Fellow Louisville signees Jordan Watkins, Greedy Vance, Minkins, and Rentz were scheduled to be dorm roommates. Rentz was even in a group chat with the other three, where he would communicate weekly with them in order to strengthen that bond even more.

It’s safe to say that Rentz had found a new home in the city of Louisville, and he couldn’t wait to experience his college years.

Then on the night of April 26, 2020 in Orlando, Rentz was at his grandfather’s house mourning the loss of a friend who had just passed away. As he got into the car to leave, drive-by assailants shot into the vehicle, hitting Rentz and three others.

Rentz fell into the street, where his brother Derrick, who was in the vehicle, pulled him back into the car. 911 was called and an ambulance was alerted, but it was taking far too long. Rentz was driven toward the hospital, but he had stopped breathing along the way.

His brother and friends flagged down a police officer, who assisted in getting them some help, but it was too late. Dexter Rentz Jr. did not survive the shooting.

It was later revealed that Rentz wasn’t even the shooting target. He was murdered over a senseless beef not pertaining to him at all.

The news rocked Cardnation and the entire state of Florida. Rentz was supposed to be on a zoom call the next morning, but instead of covering the routine criteria, Louisville wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer had to relay the somber message to Dexter’s college teammates.

But on this day- what would have been his 19th birthday- we celebrate the life of this talented young man, whose future was extremely bright as a Cardinal and beyond.

A lot of the freshman and other players on this year’s Louisville squad have put an emphasis on playing this season in honor of Dexter Rentz because he was never given the opportunity to do so, as he was so close to living out his dreams as a college football player.

To pay homage to their fallen teammate, the entire team wears “DR2” decals on their helmets, Rentz’s initials and football number. Rest in power, Dexter.