Kenny Payne and Jeff Brohm are both recruiting heavily this week on-campus, the future is bright for both programs

Daylen Russell

Daylen Russell is a 6-foot-3, 255-pound defensive lineman for Columbus High School in Miami, Florida, which is the same team that five-star edge rusher TJ Capers is on. TJ Capers committed to Louisville on January 7th of this year and has already been hard at work recruiting his high school teammates to join him.

Daylen Russell could be the first one to join him as Capers’ recently tweeted that he was coming to Louisville this weekend and he was bringing his friends, one of them being Daylen Russell.

South Florida Insider for Rivals, Frank Tucker put in a FutureCast for Russell to join the Cardinals just two days after it was announced that he was visiting Louisville. In 10 games last season with the Explorers, the junior defensive lineman recorded 40 solo tackles and 11 assisted tackles for 51 total tackles to go along with 7.0 sacks on the year.

Russell and Capers combined for a total of 12 sacks on the year and 91 tackles. To say these two were a dynamic duo on the defensive side of the ball would be an understatement.

Jose Leon

Jose Leon is a 5-foot-10, 160-pound wide receiver for the Columbus High School Explorers. Not only is he a teammate of Daylen Russell and TJ Capers, but he is also set to visit Louisville this weekend. According to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, Leon is the No. 125 prospect in the state of Florida and the 129th prospect in the nation.

However, one thing Jeff Brohm does well with is smaller receivers. For example, Rondale Moore and Charlie Jones exploded in a Jeff Brohm-led offense. Last season with the Boilermakers, Jones had 110 receptions for 1,361 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. In Rondale Moore’s career under Jeff Brohm, he had 178 receptions for 1,915 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.

So, even though he may not be the tallest receiver, Jose Leon could most definitely thrive in the Louisville offense. Last season, he led the Explorers in receiving yards and touchdowns with 569 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He also averaged 51.7 yards per game, so he is very skilled for a shorter receiver.

According to 247Sports, he is warm towards Louisville and has received an offer from the Cardinals, so this visit could cap off a successful recruiting effort for the three-star south Florida native.

Isaac Brown

Isaac Brown is a 5-foot-9, 180-pound running back in the Class of 2024, and he was the first member of the Cardinals’ 2024 recruiting class. Brown is the No. 42 overall prospect in the state of Florida for the Class of 2024 and he is along for the ride to visit his future collegiate home for the weekend.

Amarri Irvin

Amarri Irvin is a 5-foot-11 1/2, 196-pound running back who played this past season for Westminster Christian School in Miami, Florida. Next season, he will be a freshman in high school, so his collegiate recruiting is getting off to an incredibly early start.

Irvin must be great friends with TJ Capers because he is able to come to a Division I program even before he begins his freshman year in high school. Last season for Westminster, he recorded 11 carries for 86 yards and one touchdown. He also added three receptions for 16 yards to his stat line. Nothing too elite standing out just yet, but he was only an eighth-grader and he has tons of time to develop.

He is definitely doing the right things by hanging out with older role models who are also elite at football and tagging along with them in their recruiting endeavors. Although, he already has received a scholarship offer from Westminster College before he even took a snap on a high school field, which is impressive in its own right.