Programs that will benefit from Louisville's coaching transition
After another lopsided loss and the recent exodus of several committed players, Louisville parted ways with head coach Bobby Petrino, Yahoo Sports reported Sunday morning. Less than two years after Petrino coached Lamar Jackson to the Heisman Trophy, the Cardinals are back on the market and looking for a new coach. While the administration in Louisville is looking for his replacement, other programs surely stand to benefit from the uncertainty in the meantime. Here are programs that are in a position to gain from the Cardinals woes.
CARDINALSPORTS.COM COVERAGE: Petrino Era is over at Louisville | 2019 Recruits React | Current players react | Tyra reacts | All eyes on Brohm
ARKANSAS
The Razorbacks make this list mainly because of one big target, both literally and figuratively, three-star JUCO offensive lineman Chibueze Nwanna. During the spring, Louisville looked like the favorite to land his commitment, but the more uncertain things have gotten, the more the door has opened for other programs. Arkansas is loading up on offensive linemen in this year’s class and is expected to host Nwanna for an official visit soon. If Arkansas can land a player at a position of need thanks to the Louisville coaching situation, it will be an added bonus for the Razorbacks.
GEORGIA
The Bulldogs and Cardinals don’t often run into one another on the recruiting trail but they did square off for Memphis quarterback Jaden Johnson during the spring. The talented Memphis signal-caller was high on Georgia’s board, but elected to stick by his early commitment to Louisville, despite overtures from the Dawgs and several others. Johnson has been an outspoken recruiter for Louisville and has defended Petrino publicly, but with Georgia looking to take another quarterback in the class could Johnson and UGA rekindle their springtime flirtation?
KENTUCKY
This is an easy one as the Wildcats are having one of their best seasons in recent memory on the field and are also doing a nice job of recruiting off of it. Kentucky already won one recruiting battle against the Cardinals, landing three-star Louisville native Shawnkell Kinght-Goff’s commitment last month. It’s also possible that by the time the Cardinals have a coach in place, Rivals250 defensive end J.J. Weaver, another Louisville resident, will be committed to Kentucky as well. Even though the two teams aren’t in the same conference, they often battle for the same players and Kentucky’s banner year is only sweeter for UK fans thanks to Louisville’s struggles.
PURDUE
This is a tricky one because the Boilermakers coach, Jeff Brohm, will be Louisville’s No. 1 target on the coaching market. But assuming Brohm sticks with the Boilermakers, Purdue will only continue to benefit from Petrino’s ouster. The Boilermakers best offensive play, true freshman Rondale Moore, was plucked out of Louisville’s backyard in the 2018 class, and Purdue just landed Rivals250 wide receiver and Louisville native Milton Wright’s commitment as well. Brohm’s ties to Louisville and the state of Kentucky make him an obvious choice to replace Petrino, but they’re also why Purdue has been so successful in the Bluegrass State and will likely continue if Brohm remains in West Lafayette, regardless of the Cardinals' hire.
UCF and USF
These two programs get lumped into one because they are often competing with the Cardinals for talent in the state of Florida. If there’s one thing Petrino’s second stop at Louisville will be remembered for, it will be Jackson’s Heisman run. The South Florida native was identified by the Cardinals' staff early and it’s plausible that given different circumstances he would have ended up playing for the Knights or Bulls. It’s also worth noting that UCF could be the landing spot for former Florida native Jordan Travis, a three-star quarterback from that 2018 class that recently announced his transfer from Louisville.