As we inch ever closer to the start of the season, it is time to look back and evaluate the summer additions to #FlyVille24.
Obviously, the major headline for Louisville football is that prized recruit TJ Capers has reclassified and joined the roster as a member of #FlyVille23.
Now, how will the class of ’24 shake out without Capers? Let’s take a look at what additions the class has made over the last couple of months.
Here is a quick breakdown of the three high school commits the staff has landed throughout the summer.
Prospects listed by order of commitment
Duke Watson – RB, Mary Persons (GA)
Duke Watson is a 6’0 180 lb running back who boasts a four-star rating and an impressive offer sheet.
Watson joins a class that already features four-star speedster RB Isaac Brown, and I love the pairing of the skillsets that each back brings to the room. Both players are consistent home-run threats out of the backfield but achieve it in different ways.
While Brown has tremendous speed and burst, Watson excels with his contact balance, vision, and decisive one-cut running style. While Watson does not have the same top-end speed that Brown has, he is certainly a great athlete in his own right and boasts a more imposing physical profile.
Watson is extremely difficult to bring down in space and keeps his legs churning through contact. He is a proven weapon in the passing games who is even split out wide from time to time. He makes explosive cuts and reaches top-end speed with ease.
If Louisville football can fend off Auburn, who has recently started making a substantial push for Watson, their backfield looks to be in good hands for years to come with a stable of young and talented backs to throw at opposing defenses.
Jaiden Spearman – Safety, Hough (NC)
At 6’2 and 190lbs, the first thing that is apparent with Spearman is that he possesses the necessary physical tools to succeed at the safety position in Ron English’s defense. He is a good athlete who is at his best coming downhill and tackling against the run.
While he could afford to improve the angles he takes to the ball carrier, he is a very physical player who wraps up and drives through the ball carrier’s hips. Spearman projects best as a developmental piece with enticing physical traits who could become a special teams contributor early in his career before carving out a rotational role on defense.
The rumor mill suggests that Spearman will be joining the class as a walk-on initially. If true, this is an excellent job adding a very talented player without burning a scholarship.
Fred Johnson – Offensive Line, Glenville (OH)
One of the first head-to-head recruiting battles between Brohm and rival Kentucky ends up in Louisville’s favor.
UK has developed a strong presence in Ohio throughout the Stoops era, so beating them out for talented offensive lineman Fred Johnson feels that much better. He possessed requisite physical traits at 6’5 and a hair under 300 lbs.
Johnson currently plays left tackle for Glenville, and though he projects better as an interior offensive lineman at the next level, his versatility gives him a lot of value. His best trait is his anchor. On tape, you rarely ever see him be moved backward by opposing linemen. He regularly gets vertical movement on run plays and halts pass rushers in their tracks.
He could improve his ability to weaponize his length more often, as he has a tendency to play very close to his chest despite appearing to have long arms on tape. Brohm has heavily emphasized building to win through the trenches, and Johnson’s versatility and play strength lends itself to being a long-term fixture in the offensive line rotation.
Jathan Hatch – Safety, Biggersville (MS)
As it currently stands, Hatch may be the most underrated member of #FlyVille24 in my humble opinion.
The Mississippi native has a nearly identical physical profile to fellow class of ’24 safety commit Jaiden Spearman, both of which come in at 6’2 and around 190 lbs.
Hatch has exciting instincts in coverage and natural ball skills to create turnovers. He gets snaps at both corner and safety and does a great job staying in phase with his assigned receivers when in man coverage. In zone, he excels at reading the eyes of the quarterback and putting himself in great position to make a play.
His basketball background shows up in his explosiveness and athleticism, he has great vertical ability and should shine in a free safety role for the Cardinals.
See Also: The “Hardest” Louisville football and basketball photos ever
Rae’mon Mosby – Cornerback, Westlake (GA)
The Louisville cornerback room has given fans plenty of reasons to be excited, as it was nearly completely made over this offseason both through the transfer portal and high school recruiting.
The staff has done an excellent job in infusing young and very talented corners to the group in players like Aaron Williams, Marcus Washington, and Marquis Groves-Killebrew. Though Mosby may not reach their caliber as high school recruits, there is a lot about his game that is exciting and further displays the kind of cornerback coach Steve Ellis wants to add to his room.
Every corner that the new staff has added to the group has been above 6ft tall with excellent length and athleticism. At 6’0 and 175lbs, Mosby follows this trend. While he could improve his ball skills and production, he is very sticky in coverage and routinely contests the catch point. He has great route anticipation and times his attacks at the ball very well.
Mosby will be joining a very young and talented group once he arrives on campus, given time to develop I could see Mosby cracking the rotation very early in his career and becoming a dependable starter as an outside corner.
Cole McConathy – Edge, Spanish Fort (AL)
McConathy is a three-star edge rusher prospect with a lot of exciting tools and a style of play that could certainly lead to a big bump in his ratings following his senior year.
Listed at 6’5 and 225lbs, McConathy has plenty of size and length with a frame to add significant weight at the next level. He excels at using his hands to quickly dispatch offensive tackles with a variety of pass rush moves and disrupting the backfield.
He easily turns speed to power and pushes blockers back into the lap of the quarterback and collapses the pocket quickly. He is an aggressive finisher who has plenty of “wow” tackles across his tape. He diagnoses well against the run and has little trouble locating the ball carrier and bringing them down for negative yardage.
What he lacks in bend he makes up for in hustle and high motor. For Louisville football, he will have to add weight and ideally improve upon his bend and burst, but his upside is an early contributor to the rotation as a pass-rush specialist and eventual multi-year starter.
I am a fan of McConathy’s game and potential and I’m excited to see what he can become with college coaching.
Xavier Porter – Defensive Line, Tampa Catholic (FL)
McConathy hasn’t been this summer’s only disruptive defensive line addition, as three-star defensive tackle Xavier Porter joined #FlyVille24 only two days after McConathy’s commitment on July 6th.
I really like the fit of Porter on the interior of this Louisville football 4-3 defensive front, as he can provide a consistent run-stopping presence while he adds more to his pass-rush arsenal. At 6’2 and 265 lbs he comes in a bit short for a defensive tackle, but he utilizes this natural leverage to his advantage when driving back offensive lineman into the backfield.
Porter does a great job of using his hands to quickly shed single blocks and fight off double teams. He is a strong tackler who is difficult to break free from once latched on.
Brohm continues to remain committed to maintaining a recruiting pipeline in the sunshine state, this time landing a player who looks to be a very solid rotational piece for the defensive line for years to come.
2 thoughts on “Louisville Football Summer Recruiting Roundup”