Dave's Deliberations: News, notes, & observations from Light up the Ville
2019 instate prospect:
Louisville brought in some local 2019 recruits tonight in the form of 4-stars JJ Weaver, Jared Casey, and 3-star Manual running back commit Aidan Robbins and 2019 commit Antony Adkins from LaRue County. Adkins and Robbins looked to be identical in height and both are good looking athletes. I wanted to see Adkins camp so I could evaluate him but he's already committed and has camped before so it didn't make sense for him to go out there and risk a tweaked ankle or something. He told me that he doesn't have a preference between playing offense or defense, he just wants to get on campus and start working.
When I spoke to Weaver I couldn't get a good read on him because he's gotten hip to the game and keeps his cards close to the vest. Anyone who is predicting him to Louisville at this point is just guessing but getting him on campus this weekend is big for Louisville and I know for a fact that Louisville is in his top four at the moment.
As far as Jared Casey, I don't believe he will chose Louisville after speaking with him. He is keeping an open mind and was watching linebackers' coach Ryan Beard intently but I just think his desire to leave home is the driving force behind his decision.
Commit watch:
2019 Mt. San Antonio Community College (CA) tight end Austin Griffin was on his official visit and seem to be enjoying the campus. His listed 6-foot-7 height is legitimate as he looked to have about half an inch on former Louisville tight end and current recruiting coordinator Pete Nochta. Griffin told me he used to play quarterback but prefers tight end because he likes the physical nature of the position. I would put him on commit watch for the next few days. Louisville has a lot of "tight ends" committed currently but the staff views the current commits as athletes. Griffin is no exception, so fans shouldn't get too caught up in the numbers at that position.
Big time prospects on campus:
The big news heading into this weekend was the fact that 2019 Rivals100 defensive end Khris Bogle visited Louisville with his Cardinal Gibbons teammate and 2019 Louisville commit Jamari Williams. This development and his twitter activity hinting at a Bogle/Williams package deal created a few "Bogle to Louisville" predictions in the local media. Well, he stayed for one day, visited Tennessee the next day, and is currently at FSU's Saturday Night Live camp. All that being said I think he ends up at Miami. So don't believe the hype, I believe his visit to Louisville was just a fun road trip with his friend. Sources from the Louisville side of things agreed with me when I voiced that sentiment. I'm not going to make any Mark Ennis level live animal cuisine propositions, but I think Louisville's chances are anorexic at best.
Massive 2020 Rivals100 defensive end Darrion Henry from Princeton High, in Cincinnati, Ohio was in street clothes for an unofficial visit and seemed to be taking in the talent. Henry is a "first off the bus" spectacle of a football player and surely sits very high on Louisville's 2020 board.
2020 3-star Christ the King (Queens, NYC) running back Tirek Murphy and his teammate 2019 3-star DE Jared Hunte, as well as a plethora of his teammates, where in attendance but Murphy and Hunte were the only ones I spotted from that school who didn't camp. I'll mention some of his teammates below. Murphy was offered by Louisville on June 14th and reports offers from Michigan, Tennessee, Pitt, Duke, Syracuse and over ten other schools. Hunte holds offers from Georgia, Ohio State, LSU, Penn State, Tennessee, Louisville, and a lot of other schools. I'm not sure there is any legit interest in Louisville on behalf of these two because they came on a bus with their high schools and not on their on dime, but I'm working to see what I can dig up.
The performers: The following prospects camped and did their thing. Look out for them in the future because they impressed the staff and offers may be forthcoming at a later date.
Cameron Williams is the headliner for the camp. He's long and athletic. He runs the hurdles for Andrean. On film he's a disruptive pass rusher off the snap with good get off and active hands. He also shows a good motor when the plays goes away from him. He looked good in position drills and the fact Louisville got him on campus during a hectic camp week where all the schools are trying to land visits boasts well for them.
Chris Long stood out as one of the hardest kids to cover at camp and I expect him to receive an offer from Louisville wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway soon. That says it all, no need to elaborate.
I'm not sure how high Louisville is on King, a three-star receiver from New Jersey but I thought he looked like a 6-foot-4 receiver who runs routes like a 5-foot-11 receiver. He holds offers from NC State, Boston College, Maryland, Toledo, Rutgers and handful of other schools. I was impressed by his ability to stick his foot in the ground and change directions. He also showed good hands and the ability to high point passes. He's a little too frail bodied to make an impact right away at a Power-Five school but a redshirt year in the weight room would make him a formidable redzone/possession receiver.
Alexander drew immediate "who is that" remarks from everyone in attendance. He moved well and seemed like a power-five guy from a small sample size standpoint. On film he looks like a solid edge setter against the run. At camp he looked long and didn't carry much bad weight. I'm not sure if Louisville will offer him but if he was to earn an offer and commit it wouldn't be trite to say Louisville found a diamond in the rough.
The coaching staff seemed to be very attentive to every throw Mike Wright made and I expect him to be a top priority for Louisville going forward. He's a track star with a personal record of 11.12 in the 100-meter-dash. He already holds offers from Louisville and Kentucky as well as Ole Miss, Minnesota, and Illinois. He's got the potential to shoot up the rankings with a good season and become a national recruit. Lousville has done well to establish an early relationship with him.
Diggs is long and covers a lot of ground with his get off. He reminds me of JJ Weaver around this time last year. He already holds offers from UGA, OSU, Penn State, NC State, and many other power five programs. The fact he camped shows either he is either a pure competitor or is serious about Louisville and wanted to get a feel for how he would be coached by the staff, or a combination of both.
The 2018 Charlotte Three Stripe Camp was the first time I saw Leonard in action and he impressed me. I'm not sure why he doesn't have a ranking at this point but he should be at least a three star. I didn't watch him at the camp because I was talking to prospects during the one on ones but I already know what he is capable of and the fact Louisville got him on campus and had him participating in camp is a good look. While he isn't as long as the prototypical tackle he moves well enough to make up for being an inch or two too short and has a violent punch. If he isn't a tackle he's definitely a top notch guard and Louisville would do well to sure up the 2020 Cocoa Florida lineman.
Warner looks the part. He's a very solid and compact 200-pounds, runs a 4.5 laser as a kid going into his junior season of high school, and will be the feature back this year for a loaded Ballard team that should compete for the Kentucky state title in 2018. He's from Detroit and moved to Louisville with his older cousin who coaches at Westport Middle School. If Warner dominates this season he's going to blow up. Louisville hasn't offered him yet and I get not offering local but Kentucky did after he ran a sub 4.4 on the stopwatch at a camp this Summer. I wouldn't be surprised if Louisville offers Warner if he can put together a solid four game film this season. He definitely has the attention of the staff.
Beau Allen is the top rated quarterback in the state of Kentucky regardless of class. He holds Power-Five offers from Michigan, Kentucky, and Maryland, as well as Cincinnati, Western Michigan, and Troy. His performance was a mixed bag of great throws and some head scratchers but overall he looked like a legitimate Power-Five prospect. He has some bugs in his delivery to work out and he isn't the dual-threat that Bobby Petrino prefers but when he's on he looks like money. Another plus about his game is his grasp of reading defenses and he has received the green light from his coaching staff at Lex Catholic to audible at the line of scrimmage. I don't know if he is a fit for Petrino's offense but he is definitely one of the best prospects in the state.
Jevon Banks is listed as a linebacker but Louisville likes him at defensive end and potentially a three-technique defensive tackle if he puts on some weight. He performed well in one on one drills and is one of Louisville's top targets in the 2020 class. Keep an eye on him. I am not ready to put him on commit watch but I think Louisville sits in a good spot for him.
In the one on ones Battle stole the show drawing praise from Jayden Smith on the sidelines after consistently torching defenders on numerous routes on the tree. He reminded me of a Rondale Moore or Wandale Robinson type slot receiver. He currently holds offers from Buffalo and Morgan State but with a big season and some camp exposure I can see him being a sought after prospect in the future.
Louisville did very well to get this rising sophomore on campus. He's going to be a national recruit before it's over. I was lucky enough to be at the Columbus Rivals Combine this year and point him out to the national guys. We called him over to the tent to invite him to the Three Stripe Camp the day after the combine thinking he was 2019 sleeper. Imagine our surprise when he told us he just finished his Freshman year in high school. I know the Louisville staff likes him a lot and I expect them to offer soon.
If you just came out of a coma, Christian Fitzpatrick is the younger brother of current Louisville receiver Dez Fitzpatrick. He holds a Louisville offer, his first, in addition to Oregon, Boston College, Syracuse, Indiana, Illinois, Toldeo, and Central Michigan. Christian is a route technician like his older brother. He shows polish that a lot of recruits his age don't and if he puts together solid film this year he's going to blow up. I asked his father, Greg, straight up if Christian was going to Louisville and he told me that he's not focused on anything other than his craft right now. Greg slipped up though and told me that Dez won't give his younger brother any advice until after his senior year. Senior year? That was strange to hear to me because I project Dez to be one of the top receivers in the country this season and should be an eligible draft prospect this year. Well Greg told me that if Dez doesn't receive a first round grade he's coming back to Louisville. Dez is a redshirt sophomore this season so maybe I buried the lede in this article.
Minkins is Louisville legacy. His father played for Louisville from '00-'03 and finished with five interceptions over his career. The younger Minkins holds an offer from Kentucky after an impressive performance at a Summer camp. Minkins is a long defensive back who keeps his man in front of him. He relies on his length to close on deep routes and knocked down four passes by my count. He needs to learn how to downshift and drive underneath routes, attach on deep routes in man coverage, and get quicker on his speed turns if he plans on playing corner but he looks like a power five safety right now. I'm sold on Minkins as a Power-Five prospect with a lot of up-side right now. I think Louisville will be cautious with an offer because he will probably commit soon thereafter. He drew high praise from Jaylen Smith, Greg Fitzpatrick, and Dez Fitzpatrick on the sidelines. If Minkins puts in the work to be great in the weight room he has the potential to be a national prospect.