Louisville football head coach Scott Satterfield met with the media on Monday afternoon to discuss a variety of offseason topics. Among those topics were NIL opportunities, the transfer portal, newcomers, positional depth, and more. Here are some takeaways from the presser.
NIL Opportunities
I asked #Louisville HC Scott Satterfield about the coaches’ message to the players as they try to navigate NIL opportunities:
“We’re just trying to make sure we don’t hinder any of their opportunities, but we want them go through compliance to help them pursue the right paths.”
— Dalton Pence (@dpence_) July 12, 2021
Satterfield explained that staffs aren’t supposed to use NIL in recruiting, but acknowledged that questions will come from recruits regarding the issue. Time will show the path for athletes to receive opportunities in the city; Louisville is a prime market for student-athlete opportunities.
Recruiting and Roster Changes
“We had a fantastic June”, Satterfield said. “This is the busiest June that I’ve ever been apart of.”
Also, the Cardinals may not be done adding players to the current roster. “We could add one more late (in the summer)”, Satterfield added. As a whole, he highlights the whole staff, especially Pete Nochta and the recruiting department for their roles in the transfer portal.
“There was a plan to hit the transfer portal hard to bolster the roster”, Satterfield said. Bryan Hudson, Kenderick Duncan, and Shai Werts are guys that he believes will all make big impacts, respectively.
Roster Observations
Satterfield highlighted safety and wide receiver as the positions that he sees needing the most work heading into fall camp depth-wise, but is optimistic moving forward.
On new faces on the defensive line: “Those guys can play and will be great competition, Satterfield explained. “It will all depend on how fall camp goes. There’s a ton of depth, as many as 10-11 guys. Yaya (Diaby) has been outstanding, Ashton (Gillotte) has been incredible.”
Satterfield recognized Jalen Mitchell and Trevion Cooley as standouts thus far, and hints at the team using a “by-committee” approach this season at running back.
On QB Malik Cunningham: “He’s been studying a lot of film, and working on ball-handling”, Satterfield said. “He’s one of the most efficient quarterbacks that Louisville has ever had. He’s working to get back to the 2019 form, and we think he will.”
You can view the entire press conference below.
