Wednesday night was the third recruiting class that the Cardinal Nation has celebrated under the 2nd term of Bobby Petrino. The first year he did a really good job at salvaging a class put together by the last regime. Last year he started to build the team around his wants and needs for his system landing a very talented QB in Lamar Jackson. In this 2016 class you can really start seeing Coach Petrino’s vision coming together and it includes 23 Signees who fit his system nicely. Congratulation goes out to Coach Petrino and his staff for all of their hard work.
The Cardinals 2016 Class really shines on the offensive side of the ball. In 2016. Coach Petrino landed a raw but very talented quarterback in Jawon Pass. He is considered one of the best quarterbacks in this class and some think the best. Louisville also has a pair of four-star receivers in the fold in Chris Taylor-Yamanoha and Seth Dawkins. A third pass-catcher in the class is Des Fitzpatrick. These guys will assure that the rich tradition of great wide receivers continues at the University of Louisville.
This class also has its bright spots on the defensive side of the ball. Four-star linebacker P.J. Blue was a big flip from South Carolina in December. Defensive End Michael Boykin committed in July and might have the highest upside in the class. Junior college corner Ronald Walker and defensive tackle Chris Williams are expected to make an instant impact. This class finished ranked 36th ESPN (6 Four Star,15 Three Star), 37th 247Sports (2 Four Star, 20 Three Star), 37th Rivals (3 Four Star, 14 Three Star), and 40th Scout (3 Four Star, 19 Three Star).
When it comes to college sports it’s not like the rankings don’t matter at all because they do. But it isn’t the be all end all predictor of future success. We have seen many three star athletes go on to have successful NFL careers from the University of Louisville and our season records and bowl record thanks to three star recruits is among the best in college football. I think there are a lot of solid players in this 2016 class and do believe they could be the foundation towards getting Louisville to that college football playoff. I love the direction of the football program and the future sure looks bright. I can’t wait to get out to the practice fields on April 16th at 1:00pm to see these guys. Go Cards!
Coach Petrino welcomes Card Nation to Louisville Signing Day Party 2016:
Coach Petrino talks about the 4 returning Juniors, Des Fitzpatrick and Seth Dawkins:
Coach Grantham talks about 2016 Signees London Iakopo, Mike Boykn and Gary McCrae:
Coach Kolby Smoth talks about his “Dogs on the team” Dae Williams, Malik Staples and Malik Williams:
Coach Tony Grantham talks about Austin Johnson, Tobias Little and Tabarius Patterson:
Coach Klenakis talks about OL Robbie Bell, Derek Dorsey and Austin Cummins:
Coach Keith Heyward talks about PJ Blue, Lamarques Thomas and Ronald Walker:
Coach LD Scott talks about Kordell Slater, Chris Williams and Caleb Tillman:
Coach Garrick McGee talks about Chris Taylor-Yamanoha, Keion Wakefield and Jawon Pass: