Breaking Down Louisville's 2023 Early Signing Period

The Cardinals were able to secure 14 National Letters of Intent on the first day of the early signing period.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Following a fantastic first year under head coach Jeff Brohm, the Louisville football program was able to parlay that momentum out onto the recruiting trail. On Wednesday, the first day of the 2023 Early Signing Period, the Cardinals were able to secure 14 Letters of Intent from their Class of 2024 high school commitments.

Who are the signees?

Quarterback

• QB Deuce Adams (Highlights and Evaluation)

Offensive Skill Positions:

• WR Shaun Boykins Jr. (Highlights and Evaluation)
• *WR Joseph Stone Jr. (Highlights and Evaluation)
• *RB Isaac Brown (Highlights and Evaluation)
• RB Duke Watson (Highlights and Evaluation)
• TE Dylan Mesman (Highlights and Evaluation)

Offensive Linemen:

• OT Fred Johnson (Highlights and Evaluation)
• *OT Ransom McDermott (Highlights and Evaluation)
• OT Jimmy Williams III (Highlights and Evaluation)

Defensive Linemen:

• *DE Maurice Davis (Highlights and Evaluation)
• DE Xavier Porter (Highlights and Evaluation)

Linebackers:

• *LB Trent Carter (Highlights and Evaluation)

Secondary:

• CB Rae’mon Mosby (Highlights and Evaluation)
• S Jathan Hatch (Highlights and Evaluation)

*Early Enrollee

Who is Louisville still targeting?

Unlike last season, this year's early signing period featured much less drama and suspense. There wasn't much chatter that any of Louisville's commits could flip at the 11th hour, and the Cardinals were able to sign every single one of their scholarship high school verbal pledges.

As a result, we've very likely seen the last of Louisville's recruiting efforts in the 2024 high school cycle. The staff did actively try to flip offensive tackle Kai Greer and wide receiver Kevin Levy at the last minute, but each prospect wound up sticking to their commitments and signing with Georgia Tech and Rutgers, respectively.

Don't completely rule out Louisville potentially adding more high school talent during the traditional Signing Day in February, but from here, expect them to almost exclusively focus on recruiting the transfer portal to address remaining roster needs for 2024. Especially since we don't yet know who plans on entering the portal after the Holiday Bowl.

Who was the best recruit to sign?

Sure, when you go by pure recruiting rankings, Joseph "JoJo" Stone Jr. and Duke Watson were the two best high school prospects to sign on Wednesday, as both were top-400 prospects.

But there is a case to be made that quarterback Deuce Adams was the most impactful signing of the day. Louisville got involved very early with Adams to help establish a strong unwavering relationship, and he took a large step forward during his senior season in high school. Playing in the toughest district in Texas high school football, he completed 69.9 percent of his throws for 27 touchdowns and only one interception. Under Brohm and Co., the sky is the limit with his development at the next level, and he very well could start in 2025.

Where did Louisville excel in the Early Signing Period?

Given Brohm's status as an offensive-minded coach who likes to light up the scoreboard, it's no surprise that Louisville's best work in this high school recruiting cycle came with recruiting the offensive skill positions. Isaac Brown and Duke Watson are an incredibly dynamic duo out of the backfield, Joseph Stone is a speedster who is excellent with the ball in his hands, Shaun Boykins was a tremendous local recruiting win that has long term potential, and Dylan Mesman has the opportunity to thrive in this offense.

The Cardinals also did a solid job addressing needs at edge rusher, especially after Cole McConathy flipped to Miami in November. Not only did they land a versatile pass rusher in Xavier Porter, they maintained their relationship with speed rusher Maurice Davis even after he committed to Ole Miss over the summer, and landed him last week.

What positions do they need to hit next?

When looking at the overall list of signees when sorted by position, it's pretty easy to figure out that Louisville needs to focus their remaining recruiting efforts on the defensive side of the ball. Especially when you factor in that 11 of their currently 16 committed transfers are on offense.

Where Louisville really needs to focus on is at cornerback, whether it's a high school prospect or a transfer. Storm Duck is in line to graduate, and both Quincy Riley and Jarvis Brownlee are likely to declare for the NFL Draft at some point. Maybe getting another impact linebacker wouldn't hurt, either.

(Photo of Deuce Adams: Sara Diggins - Austin American-Statesman)

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