Louisville Football keeps the recruiting train rolling during the peak season. This weekend, the Cards will host an impressive list of visitors as they try and put together a small, but impactful 2022 class. They also had a big time 2023 visitor. Below, you will have the list of visitors and some of their stats. They will be categorized as offensive and defensive recruits.
Defensive Recruits:
Stone Blanton:
- Position: LB
- Rating: Composite 4 Star
- Height: 6’2
- Weight: 220 lbs
- High School: Madison-Ridgeland Academy
- Hometown: Madison, MS
- National Rank: 298th
- Position Rank: 32nd
- Offers: 21 including Oregon, Ole Miss, Stanford, Texas A&M, Auburn, Baylor, Tennessee, and uk.
UofL getting a player of Stone Blanton’s caliber onto campus is huge. The LB prospect is one of the absolute best players in the country. He’s also a two-sport athlete, also playing baseball. It’s going to be a hard sell to lure Blanton out of the SEC as there are multiple SEC programs after him, including his home state school Ole Miss. However, Louisville has made MS a priority in recruiting the last few years. So, there’s definitely a chance they can really make up some ground with this visit. Then maybe they can snatch this talented young player away from the southeast.
Zeke Berry:
- Position: CB
- Rating: Composite 3 Star
- Height: 6’0
- Weight: 185 lbs
- High School: De La Salle
- Hometown: Concord, CA
- National Rank: 397th
- Position Rank: 38th
- Offers: 16 including Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, Minnesota, and Tennessee.
UofL, under the stewardship of Scott Satterfield, has been making inroads on the west coast. Current freshman TE Christian Pedersen is a CA product. They look to dip in to the state and pick up another highly sought prospect. Zeke Berry is a 6’0 CB with a multitude of west coast offers that include west coast power house Oregon. As with Blanton, it will be hard to lure a player as talented as Berry from his west coast roots, but it’s not impossible. He’s a very skilled prospect that would fit in nicely with UofL’s scheme.
Isaac Ham:
- Position: DL
- Rating: Composite 4 Star
- Height: 6’5
- Weight: 260 lbs
- High School: Sun Prairie
- Hometown: Sun Prairie, WI
- National Rank: 307th
- Position Rank: 40th
- Offers: 10 including Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Penn State, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois.
Isaac Hamm looks the part of a dominant defensive lineman. His speed and power primarily playing on the interior line is something UofL would love to have. It’s excellent that UofL will have him on campus as having anyone this talented on campus is always a win, but he seems like a long shot for the Cards. However unlikely it is that Louisville will be able to snatch this excellent prospect out of Big 10 country, having him visit means there’s always a chance.
Offensive Recruits:
Maurice Clipper Jr:
- Position: OT
- Rating: Composite 3 Star
- Height: 6’4
- Weight: 285 lbs
- High School: Milton
- Hometown: Alpharetta, GA
- National Rank: 764th
- Position Rank: 36th
- Offers: 17 including Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Minnesota.
Maurice Clipper Jr comes out of a state that UofL has been recruiting really well in for about the last 7 or 8 years. It’s a talent-rich state that many big time programs have been utilizing for a while now. Clipper is a big strong lineman that could line up outside at one of the tackle spots or move to guard. He’s got good balance and knows how to seal the edge on run plays. That’s big because of how Louisville utilitizes it’s running attack to attack the edges with stretch plays. He’s a pancaking machine that can manhandle opponents. With Louisville getting one of his visits, it’s hard not to imagine they will remain right in the thick of Clipper’s recruitment until the end.
Justin Williams:
- Position: RB
- Rating: 3 Star
- Height: 6’0
- Weight: 200 lbs
- High School: East Paulding
- Hometown: Dallas, GA
- National Rank: 472nd
- Position Rank: 37th
- Offers: 27 including Louisville, USC, Tennessee, Nebraska, Ole Miss, and NC State.
Justin Williams is arguably one of the top RB prospects on UofL’s board, if not the top. The 2022 prospect had a tremendous junior season, rushing for 1477 yards and catching the ball for 286 yards while recording 19 TDs for East Paulding. Williams is a true combination of power and speed. He’s a one-cut, north-south runner with tremendous, game-breaking speed. His vision is excellent, allowing him to see the hole develop and immediately burst through for big gains. He’s tough to bring down and won’t be brought down by arm tackles. I’m sure Louisville will put the full court press on Justin Williams hoping to make him a member of FlyVille22.
Pierce Clarkson (Class of 2023):
- Position: QB
- Rating: 4 Star
- Height: 6’1
- Weight: 205 lbs
- High School: St John Bosco
- Hometown: Bellflower, CA
- National Rank: 129th
- Position Rank: 8th
- Offers: 22 including Florida State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State, NC State, Virginia Tech, Purdue, and uk.
Pierce Clarkson is a high level QB out of CA. He actually visited UofL just today.
https://twitter.com/_pierceclarkson/status/1405630625806176259?s=21
Clarkson is a strong-armed QB with excellent accuracy. He can scramble to keep plays alive and is a good thrower on the run. His accuracy and ability to hit receivers sideline to sideline, throw them open, hit them in stride, and throw a beautiful fade are special. Clarkson can also run well and pick up big chunk yardage. Getting Pierce Clarkson on campus was a huge deal.
Updates:
It appears Zeke Berry will not be making the trip. However, there are two more visitors that are. Let’s take a look:
Jacob Bostick:
- Position: WR
- Rating: 3 Star
- Height: 6’3
- Weight: 170 lbs
- High School: Palatine
- Hometown: Palatine, IL
- National Rank: 621st
- Position Rank: 83rd
- Offers: 19 including Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Iowa, and Illinois.
Jacob Bostick is a rangy athlete at WR. His long arms allow him to make contested catches regularly. In the red zone, he’s a prime target as he can run the fade and make the catch in the corners with very little space. His route running is very good, allowing him to get quite a few clean releases, even in short yardage situations. The speed is excellent for Bostick. He’s a big play threat with the football in his hands. All in all, he’s a WR that would give Louisville a big, but athletic option on the outside.
Leyton Nelson:
- Position: OT
- Rating: 3 Star
- Height: 6’4
- Weight: 275 lbs
- High School: Boone
- Hometown: Orlando, FL
- National Rank: 541st
- Position Rank: 50th
- Offers: 31 including Miami (FL), Pittsburgh, Utah, Arizona State, Florida, Florida State, Oregon, Penn State, USC, and uk.
Leyton Nelson is a big, fast lineman that many big time programs covet. His blend of strength, athleticism, and speed are special. He can put guys down on the ground at will and drive guys yards back. His footwork is very good and he’s an adept run and pass blocker. Securing a visit from Nelson is a big deal for the program.
This list of visitors is quite distinguished. I’m not sure if UofL will come out of this weekend with a commitment, but I have a feeling they will definitely move up some of these prospect’s lists. If they can land one or two from this crop of visitors, that would be a big win. 3 or more would be unlikely, but if it did happen that would be crazy. Another big recruiting weekend in store for the Cards.
