Louisville Football: Trio of Local Kids Commit to Louisville

There has been a flurry of news surrounding the University of Louisville football program over the last 48 hours. From the announcement of the Cardinal Stadium name change, to the release of the 2023 season schedule, to receiving commitments from four high school athletes with three of them coming from within the city limits of Louisville, Kentucky.

It has been no secret that Jeff Brohm and his coaching staff have been recruiting the high schools in Louisville and the surrounding counties heavily since arriving on campus in December. Even within the first week of Offensive Coordinator Brian Brohm officially being named to the Louisville staff, he was on local high schools property.

With his ties to his alma mater Trinity High School and the father of Tight Ends Coach Ryan Wallace being Kevin Wallace, the Head Football Coach at Saint Xavier High School, there are strong connections between these two programs and the University of Louisville football program.

Once Jeff Brohm was announced as the Head Football Coach for Louisville, three-star defensive lineman and the top-ranked player in the state of Kentucky, Micah Carter flipped his commitment status from Purdue University to the University of Louisville. The Brohm administration was recruiting in Louisville better than Scott Satterfield was.

Saint Xavier High School Linebacker Jaxon Panariello

Now, in the past 48 hours, Jeff Brohm has received commitments from high-profile athletes in the city of Louisville and two of them are from Saint Xavier High School and Trinity High School. Micah Carter’s high school teammate and classmate is now set to become his collegiate teammate. Linebacker Jaxon Panariello recently announced his commitment to the University of Louisville football program.

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker joins the Cardinals as a preferred walk-on and joins fellow former Tiger walk-ons running back Grant Goodman and linebacker Hale Bohler as former Tigers becoming Cardinals. Panariello is the ranked as the 6th best prospect in the state of Kentucky and could make an impact on this roster, given the chance.

DeSales High School Offensive/Defensive Lineman James Tyson

Also joining the Cardinals as a preferred walk-on is DeSales High School’s James Tyson.

Tyson stands at a mammoth 6-foot-7, 365-pounds and has experience playing on both sides of the ball. It’s difficult to say which side of the ball he will play on in college, but I would be willing to bet it would be on the offensive line.

Trinity High School Punter Carter Schwartz

The lone scholarship offeree in this group is Trinity High School’s Carter Schwartz. Carter Schwartz joins the Cardinals after decommitting from the University of Kentucky earlier this month on January 18, 2023. His change of heart came after Louisville’s starting punter, Mark Vassett, transferred to the University of Colorado to punt for former Louisville River Bat Deion Sanders.

With Vassett leaving the program, it opened up a scholarship offer and newly installed Special Teams Coordinator Karl Maslowski quickly offered it to Carter Schwartz, who was ranked in the top 10 special teams players by NationsElite.

Each of these three athletes can provide something special to this team and it is exciting to see local talent staying home instead of seeking opportunities elsewhere.