The 2024 Louisville football freshman class is a little thin on the defensive end, but these three players have the potential to see the field this year.
The 2024 Louisville football high school class includes just six defensive players.
Additionally, one of these players is Jaiden Spearman, listed as an athlete by some recruiting services.
With such few players it is difficult to find a sure-fire guy who will see playing time early. However, the class has some talented players who may see the field.
Let’s dive in and look at three defensive freshmen that could find the field in 2024.
Xavier Porter – DL
6-1.5 / 265
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Xavier Porter held twenty-plus power five offers including the likes of Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, and others.
At 6’1, 265, he could be a bit undersized to jump in and compete right away.
Additionally, the defensive line room is stacked next season.
However, transfer players Tyler Baron, Thor Griffith, Jordan Guerad, and returning starters Ashton Gillotte, Dez Tell, and Mason Reiger will all be gone after 2024. This could mean Porter could see a ton of playing time after next season.
There is a log jam in front of him this coming year, but the coaching staff could try to get him reps this year to prepare him for a drastic bump in playing time in 2025.
Jaiden Spearman – ATH/S
6-2 / 190
Hometown: Cornelius, NC
Jaiden Spearman was the lowest-ranked commit in the Cards 2024 class. Yet, he still held offers from Florida, Michigan, Penn State, and many other programs.
This speaks volumes to the job Jeff Brohm is doing in recruiting that the lowest-ranked prospect in a class is still a highly coveted recruit.
It’s important to note that Spearman is the only player who has not signed with the Cards, leaving an opportunity to go elsewhere before the spring signing period.
However, a guy like Spearman could be able to carve a role right away.
Like the defensive line, the secondary reloaded- especially at the safety position. The staff brought in four safeties in the transfer class and three of them have significant collegiate experience.
The only returning members of last year’s defense at safety are Devin Neal and MJ Griffin. With the amount of transfer portal additions, no one position lacks significant depth, which makes it harder than ever for a freshman to see the field.
However, Spearman’s athleticism could get him on the field in some capacity. This could be the return game or on special teams, but Spearman is a terrific addition for the Cards.
Daeh McCullough – S/CB
6-1 / 180
Hometown: South Bend, IN (via Oklahoma)
Daeh McCullough was not a member of the 2024 high school recruiting class. He graduated in 2023 and spent one year at Oklahoma where he saw brief action in the Sooner’s season opener before taking a redshirt. Thus, he is a freshman in terms of eligibility.
McCullough’s talent level is through the roof having garnered offers from programs like Florida, Michigan, Penn State, along with Oklahoma out of high school. In high school, Oklahoma was the third and final school he committed to. He initially committed to Indiana where his brother started his college career. He then flipped to Cincinnati but de-committed when Luke Fickell left for the Wisconsin job.
His third and final high school commitment was to Oklahoma where his brother had already transferred. After one year in Norman, he is now a cardinal. This is all to say he had pledged his commitment to four different schools before using up a year of collegiate eligibility. Hopefully, he has found his permanent home with Louisville football.
Just like the players previously mentioned in this article, early playing time is going to be difficult but attainable for McCullough.
Two of Tennessee’s starting safeties transferred to the Cardinals this offseason as well as an FCS all-American safety Blake Ruffin and an all-conference player in UCF transfer Corey Thorton.
All four of these guys will likely be one-year players.
Additionally, McCullough is listed at just 6’1, 180. He played all around the secondary in high school, so he certainly could play corner as well. His versatility could give him the opportunity to play corner, nickel, or his listed position of safety.
His trio of talent, versatility, and having one year at the collegiate level makes him one of the freshmen on the roster that could see a lot of playing time in 2024.
At the power five level only Boston College, Colorado, and UCLA brought in fewer defensive players than Louisville in the 2024 recruiting cycle.
The Cards also brought in eleven defensive transfers and seven of them are secondary players. This will make it difficult for defensive freshmen, especially those in the secondary to see the field next year.
However, Jeff Brohm and company were selective with who they brought in their high school recruiting class.
Jaiden Spearman and Xavier Porter were both highly recruited players who had a wide variety of schools they could play for. They also understood that Brohm was going to bring in a hefty sum of players via the portal for years to come. Despite all of this they are signed to play at Louisville.
It would not surprise me if either freshman saw the field this season.
Porter needs to put on size, and he is not an early enrollee. Towards the end of the season once he has put on some size and learned scheme it is possible that he could be a depth piece on the defensive line. The defensive line is a physical position which makes hits to the depth in front of players like Porter a possibility.
Because of his versatility, the freshman who is most likely to see time in 2024 is McCullough.
Quincy Riley will return for his final year of eligibility, and he will start at corner. Opposite him at the other corner position, Corey Thorton, Tayon Holloway, and Daz Nicholson are all corner transfers who have power-five starting experience.
Thornton brings in the most accolades at the corner position, but all these players will have to learn the Louisville defensive scheme and see who the best fit is.
McCullough will be a part of the position battle for the second starting corner spot opposite Riley. His versatility to line up at corner or safety could give him an upper hand in position battles this offseason.
