Dave's deliberations: Monday's Louisville camp was quality over quantity
Today's Louisville camp had a feel of calm instruction and intimacy as a solid group of quality prospects were broken into small evaluation groups. A few local prospects performed well and a good mixture of out-of-state talent from far and wide made their presence known to the Louisville staff.
Quarterback Challenge: In the college football arms race of quarterback recruiting you can never get an early enough jump on the top signal callers in the country. Louisville did a good job of getting three quality signal callers on campus today and they all impressed. Head coach Bobby Petrino was very involved with all three prospects throughout camp and looked pleased with the performances he witnessed.
Tyler Van Dyke showed up to Louisville today on the heels of an offer producing performance at Kentucky yesterday and showed this analyst that he has no issues with consistency. He threw well today to a select group of talented receivers, showing good velocity, touch, accuracy, and anticipation. He was identified early by Rivals as a four star and looks like he has the ability to challenge for top billing among quarterback prospects in his class. I can see Louisville extending an offer soon, if not today.
This may be the tenth time I've seen Purcell in a camp setting, the 2020 Warren Central gun slinger is atmospheric on the scene. Today was no different when he showed up to Louisville right after registration fresh off a redeye flight from USC last evening. Some say jet lag is a fiction, created in the minds of those with a weak constitution and Purcell supported that theory by throwing accurate ropes throughout the early period of camp. The thing I like about Purcell is that he improves every time I see him and I have seen him more than any 2020 quarterback on the market. He has a great work ethic and he's certainly dedicated to his craft. Like VanDyke, head coach Bobby Petrino and quarterbacks coach Nick Petrino seemed very pleased with how he performed today.
Tyler Beverett made the flight from Arizona to camp in the Kentuckiana area this weekend. He was offered by Indiana back in May so he made the flight to this region to check out the Hoosiers, and also camp at both Kentucky and Louisville. I saw him camp on Saturday at UK and today at Louisville and he was consistently accurate at both camps and looks like a legit power-five prospect.
Hunter looked the part from registration and won the majority of his drills. He has the frame to bulk up significantly as most of his weight comes from his core. He looked explosive and showed good hands and change of direction. He's a legit high-four star who can move up to four-star status with a good season. I expect Louisville to offer.
Today was my third time seeing Stewart in a camp setting. The first was at the Atlanta Three Stripe Camp, I saw him yesterday at Kentucky, and today at Louisville. His best attributes are his quick feet, release, and sure hands. He was offered by Louisville in May and showed up today to prove that his offer was well founded, which he did.
Izayah Cummings from Louisville Male has been firmly on Louisville's radar since last season. They have been mulling over offering him for sometime now and I think he did enough to earn that offer today. He camped at UK Saturday, Cincinnati yesterday, and Louisville today
Chancellor Bright made the Kentucky and Louisville rounds as well and the Tennessee-based receiver impressed in both settings. He doesn't have any offers yet but that won't last long.
Bobby Petrino loves athletic tight ends and Joseph Hocker definitely fit that mold. He was sporting a knee brace on his left leg but when he exploded out of his stance and ran a crisp post route heads turned. Hocker grew up in Covington, Kentucky but moved to Cincinnati and plays for Deer Park High School. The 6-foot-5, tight end prospect holds nine offers, will Louisville be his first from the power five?
Introducing Chase Jones: Chase Jones is a prospect that had slipped under my radar for some time but that was remedied today as the 2020 in-state prospect turned in an aggressive performance. Honorary kentuckypreps.com correspondent John Young, who happens to be a massive 2020 four-star OT for the Christian Academy of Louisville hipped me to the game. As the lineman one on ones were about to start Young pointed to Jones and told me "That kid goes to Glasgow and Tanner Bowles is always saying how he's a beast." For those who don't know Tanner Bowles is a three-star offensive tackle who is committed to Alabama and faces Chase Jones in practice everyday at Glasgow. Bowles' scouting report was accurate as Jones dominated drills with an explosive get-off, hand technique, and a nasty attitude. Jones did everything to boost his stock today and definitely looks like "a guy" to watch moving forward.
Today was my second time observing Liam Dick. The first time was at the Columbus Three Stripe Camp and today was the second. When you evaluate prospects a large sample size is important. He didn't have his best performance at Columbus but today at Louisville he did much better. Maybe it was the fact that the lineman had helmets on or perhaps the level of competition was as good, but he looked like a different guy today at Louisville. He split a few reps with three-star end Dontay Hunter, who bested him twice at the Columbus camp, but today he stepped up his game. I expect Louisville to offer him, he definitely looked the part of an ACC starter down the road if he continues working. He currently holds an ACC offer from Pittsburgh.
Fresh off his first offer from Western Kentucky after a strong camp performance, Collins showed no signs of camp legs as he performed at both offensive guard and defensive tackle today and won his fair share of reps with his powerful punch. Keep an eye on Collins moving forward. He should rack up a few quality offers before it's all said and done and is one of the top prospects in Kentucky's 2020 class.
The Kentucky class of 2021 was represented best by Jon Nalley from Daviess County. The youngster held his own in one on one drills and offensive line coach Mike Summers took a liking to him, coaching him up on numerous occasions. The in-state prospect is definitely a guy to watch moving forward.
Sidebar: As mentioned earlier, 2020 CAL offensive tackle John Young was in attendance as was 2022 Holy Cross offensive tackle Kiyaunta Goodwin. Young and Goodwin compared notes on offensive line spacing and proper kick step techniques. Once the camp went to intermission offensive line coach Mike Summers gave Goodwin some pointers on technique and the youngster was very receptive. It was pretty cool to see the Louisville community taking the young prospect under its wing to help improve his game.