Louisville football: Three ’21 signees who could contribute immediately

A Louisville Cardinals cheerleader (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
A Louisville Cardinals cheerleader (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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Tutu Atwell #1 of the Louisville Cardinals. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Tutu Atwell #1 of the Louisville Cardinals. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Ahmari Huggins-Bruce

I am of the opinion that Huggins-Bruce will be a star in Louisville. His skill-set matches a Scott Satterfield offense perfectly and picturing him getting the ball in space is something that should get fans very excited.

Huggins-Bruce is only 5’10” and a hair over 160 pounds so he will need to hit the ground running in the strength program. But he is another early enrollee who will get the opportunity to get to work in January of 2021 and have all spring and summer to get better and gain muscle.

He was ranked as the No. 149 receiver in the country by 247. But I would like somebody to show me the 148 that are better than him. He is a stud that just needs one crease with the ball in his hands to put it in the end zone.

Huggins-Bruce will need more development than the first two freshmen mentioned, but two huge departures in Tutu Atwell and Dez Fitzpatrick have left the door wide open for Huggins-Bruce to accept the challenge.

As twitchy as they come out of high school in the open field, Huggins-Bruce should be able to utilize his twitch and speed to his advantage at the next level in many aspects (including route running). There are glimpses of him doing so on “whip” routes in high school, but his tape mostly consists of bubble screens or simple slant patterns.

Louisville could use his twitchiness and speed right away. Huggins-Bruce could be a player that assumes some kind of returner duties very early in his career if he is not able to crack the receiver lineup.

Look for Huggins-Bruce to contribute very early on at Louisville.

Overall

These players all have one thing in common: they are all early enrollees to the program. The best way for true freshmen to get on the field early is by getting into the program earlier than some of their counterparts. These three all will enroll in January and will have seven months to try to prove to the coaches that they belong on the field in 2021.

This 2021 signing class is special. Could any others come out of nowhere to steal playing time?