Published Jun 18, 2020
What does TJ Quinn's commitment to Louisville mean going forward
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Dave Lackford  •  CardinalSports
Staff Writer
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@RivalsDave
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TJ Quinn was the fifteenth commitment for Louisville's 2021 class. He chose the Cards over Colorado, NC State, and Virginia Tech. Louisville now has five players committed in the defensive secondary, allegedly, but where they will line up is still a topic of debate.

Braylen Oliver will play safety and Rance Conner will play cornerback, that much is certain. Derrick Edwards, who committed yesterday can play both safety and corner as can Kani Walker, who also committed yesterday. It's been a busy two days for Louisville.

Quinn is pegged as a safety but he has the frame to move to linebacker if needed. Now I'm not saying that's where he's going to play, but I am saying he has the position versatility that so many of his fellow commits in this class share. Roll the video below.

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If you haven't watched the video or you don't want to for whatever reason, fine, take my word for what it shows. What I like best about Quinn is his violence and how he diagnoses and reacts to his environment quickly. That's what you want from strong safeties, but also from inside linebackers.

Quinn is suited best for the Will inside linebacker position at Louisville. In defensive coordinator, Bryan Brown's system both the Will and Mike inside backers have to be diagnostic machines but they also have to be able to light on their feet because they have to drop into zone coverage when safeties and corners blitz. Quinn's experience as a defensive back makes him a prime candidate for the Will. He also has a long six-foot-one, 200-pound frame that can be built to play as a Power-5 linebacker.

Once again, Bryan Brown and co-defensive coordinator Cort Dennison have added a versatile weapon to their already positionally nebulous scheme for the next few years. This is a very encouraging trend that adds intrigue to what Louisville's defense will look like over the next few seasons.