The in-state rivalry between Louisville and Kentucky heated up this offseason when Louisville athletic director Josh Heird poached Vince Marrow away from Mark Stoops after more than a decade in Lexington to become the Cardinals' new executive director of player personnel and recruiting. So, Wednesday’s commitment news had to taste like sweet revenge for the Kentucky football program.
Three-star defensive back Jordan Crutchfield was scheduled to take his official visit to Louisville on Friday. Instead, the Vero Beach, Florida, product announced his commitment to the Wildcats on Wednesday, five days after visiting Lexington for his official visit with the Wildcats. Crutchfield then canceled his visit to Louisville, his final trip of the official visit season after previous trips to Florida State and Mississippi State.
Home!! BBN Nation🔵⚪️#BBN #Commited @Mike_Stoops41 @UKCoachStoops @CoachC_Collins @EraPrep @ESPNTop63 @JohnGarcia_Jr @RivalsFriedman @VBFootball pic.twitter.com/YuQTzHJZAM
— Jordan Crutchfield ¹ (@JayyCrutchfield) June 11, 2025
3-star defensive back Jordan Crutchfield commits to Kentucky, cancels visit to Louisville
Stoops and his staff desperately need a win on the recruiting trail, not just because Heird and Jeff Brohm pried Marrow away from their program, but also because they’ve gotten off to a slow start to the 2026 cycle.
Crutcfield was just the fourth commitment to Kentucky’s 2026 class, which now ranks 76th in the country according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. Crutchfield is rated as the 40th best safety in the country, but other recruiting services consider him to be a cornerback at the next level.
Missing out on Crutchfield is a bit of a blow to the Cardinals’ 2026 recruiting efforts, but Brohm’s class is much further along than Stoops’s. Louisville currently sits with 15 commits and the 28th best class in the country, headlined by four-star cornerback Jaydin Broadnax from Boca Raton, Florida.
Broadnax is the only defensive back in Louisville’s class, so Crutchfield could have provided significant depth to the class, but Brohm and his staff, including Marrow, are far from done. The June 13th official visit group, which Crutchfield was expected to be a part of, features three-star safeties D’Montae Tims and Tristen Hill, along with three-star cornerback Raderrion Daniels, who Louisville will look to flip from his Purdue commitment.