One of the nation's top edge defenders is off the board.

CJ May, the No. 35-ranked weakside defensive end in the Class of 2025 out of Highland Home (Ala.) High School has locked in his commitment to Louisville.

The Cardinals beat Syracuse, Washington and Auburn for the 6-foot-4, 225-pound defender from Alabama. Louisville has been trending with the talented three-star prospect since officially visiting campus in the spring.

May was "in shock" making it official on Saturday.

"Honestly, it came down to the connections with the coaching staff, that's what led me to Louisville. The relationships were the main thing for me," May told Rivals. "They let me know many times that I'm a top priority in the recruiting process. Some schools don't make you as high of a priority as others, but Louisville genuinely made me feel like I'm one of them."

May made his first official visit of the spring out to Louisville before trips to Washington and Syracuse in June.

Since his official visit on May 31-June 2, the Cardinals have been trending up with May.

"Honestly, I've been feeling this way for a while ... I wanted to be at Louisville this whole time," he detailed. "It's a great position for me depth chart-wise. Playing time isn't promised; it's earned, and it's a great spot and a great time for me at Louisville."

Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm played a signature role in May's recruitment.

"It's been a great time getting recruited by Louisville throughout this process. They've made me feel like the athlete I believe I am," he explained.

"Coach Brohm has done a great job recruiting me as a head coach," May continued. "As a head coach, your main job isn't recruiting. That's the case for most schools, but Coach Brohm did an amazing job recruiting me."

"Brohm has proven he's a winner and I'm on board with that and I want to be a part of the success he's having at Louisville. I can be a big difference-maker in that defense and I see my play-style fitting in well. Coach Hagen thinks that as well, so if I can go there and we win some football games, it's a win-win."

Brohm's personal efforts recruiting May to bolster Louisville's defense was compounded by lead recruiter Mark Hagen.

"Hagen has been my main guy and we talk almost every day," he said of the Cardinals' veteran DL coach. "We've talked regularly for almost three months already ... I'm not one of those guys who does constant calls, but Hagen is one of those guys I can talk to every day. He makes sure I'm good mentally, physically, as a person, and that speaks a lot about the person he is.