June was busy for college football recruiting.
Louisville, like plenty of schools around the country, hosted recruits the first two weekends. The Cardinals were rewarded with five verbal commitments, including one from Male High School three-star cornerback Antonio Harris.
The Cardinals have at least one commitment at every position, with 11 future Cardinals in the 2025 class. They’re not done recruiting, however, and can add more pieces over the next five months before the early signing period.
Having lost two commitments, the group ranks 60th nationally and 15th in the ACC, as of June 27, according to 247Sports.
There is a Crystal Ball prediction for cornerback Chase Davis. Four-star defensive lineman CJ May also has the Cardinals in his top five along with Syracuse, Washington, Ole Miss and Mississippi State and will announce his college decision July 13. May’s addition would be a huge boost for the class, which is made up solely of three-star prospects and only one ranked in the top 50 at their position: quarterback Mason Mims, who is ranked 29th.
Here’s an early look at the current 2025 class and how each player fits:
Quarterback
Commit: Mason Mims
Currently on roster: 8
Louisville will lose at least one quarterback after the 2024 season in seventh-year transfer and upcoming starter Tyler Shough. Redshirt senior Harrison Bailey could opt to use a COVID year and come back or leave. It’s doubtful Mims will compete for a starting role but could eventually see the field given coach Jeff Brohm’s background of playing multiple quarterbacks.
Wide receiver
Commit: Jordan Allen
Currently on roster: 12
Louisville is shallow at receiver, with half of them being underclassmen heading into the 2024 season. Allen is a smaller receiver at 5-foot-8 and likely won’t get immediate playing time. But he can learn from experienced receivers and eventually be an option in the slot because South Alabama transfer Caullin Lacy only has one year of eligibility left. Brohm’s biggest success story with smaller receivers was former Purdue wideout and Trinity High School graduate Rondale Moore, a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Running back
Commit: Jaylin Brown
Currently on roster: 5
From a graduation standpoint, Louisville won’t lose any running backs, which helps to maintain continuity. Like the receivers, the group will be fairly young with redshirt freshman Keyjuan Brown and true freshmen Duke Watson and Isaac Brown making up most of the room. During the 2023 offseason, the Cardinals were looking for more physical backs in the transfer portal. It’ll be another year before Jaylin Brown arrives, but he can help bring physicality to the unit with his ability to run through and break tackles. Keyjuan Brown had some early opportunities as a freshman last season, so based on how quickly Jaylin Brown can pick things up, he could see the field early in 2025.
Tight end
Commit: Grant Houser
Currently on roster: 7
After the 2024 season, U of L will be down at least two tight ends in redshirt seniors Izayah Cummings and Mark Redman. Houser will come in as one of the bigger tight ends at 6-5, 230 pounds. But he’ll likely redshirt and take a similar path as Jamari Johnson, who used his redshirt season to get in shape, improve his diet and learn the offense after playing in five games last season.
Offensive line
Commit: Gradey Anthony
Currently on roster: 16
Renato Brown’s absence in 2025 will be one of the biggest losses for Louisville’s offensive line, which also includes four other seniors. Brohm isn’t one to shy away from picking up linemen in the portal, which can help with experience next year. Freshman linemen didn’t see the field much for U of L in 2023, but depending on who stays and who comes in from the portal, Anthony may be needed to step in as a true freshman.
Defensive line
Commits: Dillon Smith, Eric Hazzard
Currently on roster: 14
Although Louisville doesn’t have as much depth in some spots as defensive line coach Mark Hagen would like, the Cardinals have the quality to continue being one of the team's strengths. Louisville could lose as many as six linemen to graduation/the NFL after the season. That would leave the Cardinals without many highly experienced players including Ashton Gillotte, who will likely go pro in 2025. Smith and Hazzard will likely be developmental players as freshmen.
Linebacker
Commit: Caleb Matelau
Currently on roster: 9
Barring any unforeseen changes, Louisville’s linebacker unit will be set for the next two seasons with redshirt junior TJ Quinn, the leading tackler last season, sophomore Stanquan Clark and junior Antonio Watts, among others. Matelau likely won’t play much, if at all, when he gets to Louisville next year, but coming into an experienced room gives him plenty of Cardinals to learn from, so when the torch is passed, there won’t be any drop-off.
Defensive back
Commits: Josh Johnson (S), Micah Rice (S), Antonio Harris (CB)
Currently on roster: 18
The unit is full of experience, but that will change next year. Quincy Riley, Tahveon Nicholson and MJ Griffin are all redshirt seniors, while Corey Thornton, Devin Neal and Tamarion McDonald are seniors. There’s no doubt Brohm will pull in players from the portal during the offseason, but Johnson, Rice and Harris could earn playing time as freshmen. Harris told The Courier Journal that he’ll be a midyear enrollee, which gives him more time to get adjusted.
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
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