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Louisville Football: 3 early signees who’ll have instant impact in 2018

By Andrew Miller

LOUISVILLE, KY - OCTOBER 14: TreSean Smith #4 of the Louisville Cardinals reacts after intercepting a pass in the end zone in the second quarter of a game against the Boston College Eagles at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - OCTOBER 14: TreSean Smith #4 of the Louisville Cardinals reacts after intercepting a pass in the end zone in the second quarter of a game against the Boston College Eagles at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The 2017 Early Signing Period was very friendly to the Louisville football program as they have one of the best recruiting class in the conference.

Louisville football is on pace for its best recruiting class since the 2006 recruiting cycle. The Cardinals locked down 20 early signees during the Early Signing Period. National Signing Day might not be as eventful for Louisville this year, but they at least have a great class in store either way.

Moreover, the last time that Louisville even had a class in the top 30 was in 2011. Considering Louisville should be losing superstar junior quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson following the TaxSlayer Bowl against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, bringing in a solid recruiting class becomes very important.

Jackson is the main reason why Louisville was so successful over the past two seasons. Head coach Bobby Petrino gets another chance at a nine win season with the Cardinals. Petrino should have a few more chances at accomplishing that feat in a tough conference like the ACC with a potential top 25 recruiting class in 2018.

With the 20 early signees, Louisville registers at the No. 26 ranked class in the nation and the fifth best in the ACC. The Cardinals rank ahead of solid ACC teams like the Florida State Seminoles, North Carolina Tar Heels (usually solid outside of 2017), and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. It would not take much for Louisville to jump the NC State Wolfpack or Virginia Tech Hokies either.

Moreover, in the national class rankings, Louisville ranks ahead of the Tennessee Volunteers, Wisconsin Badgers, UCLA Bruins, and Nebraska Cornhuskers. This could be a truly special class when Louisville looks back several years down the line.

Here are three early signees that will have an instant impact for the Louisville Cardinals in 2018.

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