Scott Satterfield had this to say about the Louisville 2023 recruiting class to this point.
“The 2023 class will be the best in Louisville history.” – Scott Satterfield
— Ty Spalding (@TySpalding) February 2, 2022
Scott Satterfield is rolling this offseason and creating a lot of excitement in the Louisville football community. Could this be the year he shows everyone why he got hired in the ACC? After a tough end to the 2021 season, Satterfield wasted no time getting to work. The Cardinals’ 2023 recruiting class, led by four-star QB Pierce Clarkson, ranks first in the ACC and 11th in the country. But first a look at the 2022 class and the immediate future for the Cards.
Offseason Headlines
Returning talent and a decent 2022 recruiting class leads to promise for the Cardinals heading into next season. Shortly after the regular season Malik Cunningham announced his return via twitter.
Card Nation don’t worry I’m staying home❤️
— Malik Cunningham (@MalikMalikc10) December 3, 2021
With one more year under his belt Cunningham has the potential to do something special at Louisville this year (+6000 to win the Heisman) while also working to improve his NFL chances. The returning starters did not stop there. Kei’Trel Clark, Monty Montgomery, and Yasir Abdullah all announced their return, providing a sense of security on the defensive side of the ball. The success in the offseason was captured nicely in by Bill Connely. Louisville shows up at 14 on this list, which accounts for returning production and transfers on both offense and defense. They rank 6th on offense and 50th on defense. Obviously, Malik Cunningham has to do a lot with that ranking.
Coaching Changes
Although, Scott Satterfield is making changes to his coaching staff. Clearly, a change had to be made after a disappointing season and a blowout loss at home to UK. Louisville hired former ND run game coordinator, Lance Taylor, as their new OC. On the defensive side Louisville hired Wesley McGriff from Florida as co-defensive coordinator. Notre Dame, as always, had a good run game and Florida’s defense has been good. One of the better hires for the Cards is Ben Sowders as the new strength coach. Sowders was the Georgia assistant strength coach and that speaks for itself. The Louisville strength coach has a national championship ring and that will always be a good thing. Satterfield also brought in Cardinal great Deion Branch to be the director of player development. Branch is a Super Bowl MVP and can bring a lot to the table.
2022 Expectations
Progress. I’m not setting the bar too high for Satterfield, but things have to get better. He has had time to recruit and put his systems in place. Now is the time to see the results. The ACC has far too high of expectations, but I expect an 8-4 season and a decent bowl game. Beating UK would go a long way in everyone really buying in on Satterfield. What also helps is good recruiting. The work Satterfield and his crew have done setting up the future has been insane recently. All eyes are on the 2023 recruiting class.
— Coach Satterfield (@CoachSattUofL) January 28, 2022
The 2023 Recruiting Class
Pierce Clarkson, one of the top 2023 QB prospects, made some noise with the way he announced his commitment to the ‘Ville.
This is home. Committed. pic.twitter.com/Je8i3nykC4
— Pierce Clarkson (@_pierceclarkson) January 28, 2022
Picture of Pierce Clarkson’s billboard at Lynn Family Stadium from the great @mattstonephotog pic.twitter.com/5sGMtcXC14
— Cameron Teague (@cj_teague) January 28, 2022
Welcome to the new era of recruiting. Billboards like this one showed up all over the city. A brilliant idea that definitely got people excited. Clarkson played for St. John Bosco, one of the best High School football teams in the nation. According to 24/7, Clarkson is the 10th best QB in the 2023 class and the number 1 dual threat QB. The day he committed he was all in on Louisville. His twitter is full of support from football to basketball. The biggest thing is he is actively recruiting big time recruits to join him.
If you wanna be apart of something special then The Ville is the place for you
— Pierce Clarkson (@_pierceclarkson) January 31, 2022
2 words for you…. ITS HOME. https://t.co/8DeOQWzy9A
— Pierce Clarkson (@_pierceclarkson) February 1, 2022
Madden Sanker is another four-star with a lot of interest from Georgia. Clarkson’s work on Twitter, along with hard work from the coaching staff, has Louisville ranked 11th for 2023 recruiting class. Obviously, it is still very early and a lot can change, especially in the recruiting world, but I like the spot Satterfield has the Cardinals in. This early momentum can help land bigger recruits. With the help of Pierce Clarkson the 2023 recruiting class could be the best in Louisville Football history.
Can Recruiting Translate to Success?
Should be an exciting next few years in the ‘Ville. I want to believe this success in recruiting can translate to good performance on the field. That is up to Satterfield and his staff to develop these guys and help them to reach their full potential. If he can do this, then maybe one day we’ll be watching the Cards in an ACC championship game.
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