Which freshmen for Louisville football could make an early impact in 2024?
The 2024 Louisville Football High School Recruiting Class is one of the smallest in program history. Jeff Brohm and his staff only brought in fourteen players. However, they have prioritized the transfer portal, bringing in 26 players and counting.
Despite its size, the freshmen class is filled with plenty of talent. First, we’ll explore the offensive side of the ball, where currently there are nine players signed to play for the Cards in 2024.
Many of the positions of need for next season will be filled by portal players who already have collegiate playing experience. However, some position groups need a spark or are just seeking quality depth.
Last season the Cards’ offense desperately needed a wide receiver number two. Jamari Thrash had more than double the amount of receiving yards compared to the second-leading receiver on the team. Brohm and company appear eager to have multiple impact pass catchers in the rotation next season. Ja’Corey Brooks and Caullin Lacy are two game-changing wideouts that the Cards added via the portal.
However, multiple starters departed for the portal or the draft. Thrash declared for the draft, Ahmari Huggins-Bruce transferred to South Carolina and Kevin Coleman transferred to Mississippi State. These departures mean other receivers outside of the portal additions will have to make an impact.
There are other positions that could see young guys make an instant impact. While it is becoming more and more rare for first year players to take on big roles, there are plenty of talented players who fit the holes Louisville football has. Here are a few new Cards who can make a significant impact in their first year.
Joseph Stone – WR
5-11 / 180
Hometown: Fairburn, GA
JoJo Stone is the highest-ranked member of the Cards 2024 high school recruiting class.
Stone initially committed to LSU in the summer following his sophomore year. Throughout his recruitment, he picked up thirty-plus offers from the likes of LSU, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, and others.
This past fall he flipped his commitment to the Cards in a huge recruiting win for Jeff Brohm.
Of the featured players in this article, Stone is the only early enrollee. Having more time to get acclimated with the program and offensive scheme should give him an upper hand in earning early playing time.
Standing under six feet tall he would fit well in the slot for the Cards offense. This past season the offense did not have a clear second receiver. They also did not have a game changer in the slot.
Lacy and Brooks should get the bulk of the targets next year but as we saw this year, more guys are needed. Louisville is thin at the slot position, which bodes well for Stone, especially given his immense talent level. Keep an eye out for the four star recruit.
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Dylan Mesman – TE
6-5 / 230
Hometown: Saline, MI
Dylan Mesman is another player who had an impressive offer sheet with 15-plus power five offers including the likes of Ole Miss, Miami, and Auburn.
The nature of the tight end position is that it requires both pass-catching ability and physicality. At the core of the position, you have to be able to be on the field and hold your own. Last season Louisville had great blockers but limited pass-catchers. For Mesman, it’s likely his down field game that could allow him to see more snaps than Jamari Johnson saw in 2023.
What makes Mesman built for a pass-catching role is that he’s an all around athlete with a high football IQ. He was a multi-sport athlete who starred for the Saline basketball team as well as for the football team in high school.
The addition of the trio of tight ends from the portal in Mark Redman (San Diego State), Jaleel Skinner (Miami), Izayah Cummings (UK), plus the return of Nate Kurisky and Jamari Johnson, will make it difficult for Mesman to earn playing time early on.
However, he is a top twenty-five tight end in the nation for a reason. He has room to add weight to his long frame, but he has tremendous upside. Expect him to be used in a more modern tight end role, where he can be used out wide or as an H-Back.
Cummings and Redman are likely one-year players for the Cards, which opens the door for Mesman to learn from experienced players in his position and see increased playing time in the years to come.
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Shaun Boykins Jr. – WR
6-1 / 190
Hometown: Radcliff, KY
The final member of the Louisville 2024 high school recruiting cycle who could see early playing time is Shaun Boykins Jr.
Boykins is another speedster who reportedly ran a 10.8 one-hundred meter when he was just a sophomore in high school. He is bigger than Stone, but he might be quicker.
Boykins was a sure-handed star for North Hardin, averaging 15.5 yards per reception en route to 8 touchdowns.
He also stars on the NHHS basketball team, showcasing his speed, toughness, and versatility as a multi-sport athlete.
This duo of freshman receivers could be one of the best young pairs in the country.
At least one of the two should make an early impact on the Louisville receiving core next season.
A talented running back duo
High school recruiting rankings can often be an educated guess, and playing as a true freshman is difficult. This is especially true in this age of the transfer portal where open positions are filled by transfer players with multiple years of college experience.
The perfect piece of evidence for this is that the Cards brought in nearly double the number of players in this portal cycle (24) compared to high school recruiting (14). Positions that require less physicality, like receiver give younger players a chance to see early playing time. So, it is not a coincidence that this article features three true freshman pass catchers.
Outside of the players we’ve mentioned, the Cards also brought in two highly regarded running backs. Issac Brown was the first commitment of the 2024 class when he committed to the old staff back in August of 2022. He is regarded as a fringe four-star prospect with offers from the likes of Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Penn State, Texas A&M, and others. He is a smaller back at just 5-9, 180lbs, but he is described as a versatile player with explosive speed.
The second running back prospect in this class is Duke Watson. Another high three-star prospect who has a bigger frame at 6-0. He had nearly two thousand yards of offense as a junior in high school including over sixteen hundred yards on the ground. This tandem of backs will be a problem for opposing defenses in the years to come.
Despite the 2024 class being small there was a clear emphasis on adding talented skill-position players. The receiver and running back duos mentioned above are sure to make an impact for seasons to come. Look for JoJo Stone to make an early impact aided by his talent level in addition to his added exposure to the offense that he will gain being an early enrollee.
