R250 QB Oden to Louisville

Class of 2016 Columbia (Tenn.) Spring Hill quarterback Tylin Oden has come a long way in just six months. He went from having no offers -- or even looks from colleges -- to several Power Five options to choose from. On Memorial Day, his recruiting journey arrived at it's biggest landmark yet -- his verbal commitment.

"As of today I'm committed to Louisville," The 6-foot-5, 175-pound quarterback said. "I chose Louisville because it's close to home and Coach (Bobby) Petrino is known for developing quarterbacks. I feel like he can mold me into and NFL quarterback and that's every player's dream."

Oden, who had 11 offers to choose from, honed in on the Cardinals after a visit for their spring game earlier this year.

"When I was up there the fans and the coaches really made me feel like I belonged," he said. "I can really picture myself there and having success and Louisville is a program on the rise so I want to be a part of thing that's going to be great in the future."

Louisville assistant Chris Klenakis has handled Oden's recruitment and Oden said the two have spent a lot of time talking about Oden's fit in Louisville's offense.

"They told me that with my arm strength they want me to throw it around," Oden said. "With my skill set, they think I'll be able to do everything they need me to, whether it's throw or use my legs to make plays. That's what makes their offense exciting."

Unlike most high-level quarterback prospects, Oden hasn't had years of private lessons and is still playing catch up in terms of honing his enormous potential. He thinks Louisville is the perfect place to continue his development.

"It was very important to me to find a place where they believe in me and my potential," Oden said. "I know I'm not a finished product and I have a lot to work on but I think Coach Petrino can take me where I need to be as a quarterback and I'm excited to get up there and get to work."

Oden has already met several Cardinals commits and said he and wide receiver commit Seth Dawkins have already had discussions about the future connection they will have with the Cardinals.

"Right when I got offered back in February, Seth hit me up," Oden said. "He let me know that he wanted me to be his quarterback and be there with him and now we can make that happen."

Oden added that he's ready to embrace his role as a recruiter, starting early next month when he's in Baltimore for the finals of the Rivals Quarterback Challenge.

"When I told Coach K. I was coming last night, he was ecstatic," Oden said. "They want me to get to work helping them bring in guys and I'm ready to do that."

With several targets in mind, Oden said he's already reached out to a fellow four-star about the potential of joining him.

"Tino Ellis is a guy that I met on one of my visits and I had a chance to watch his film," Oden said. "I like his game a lot and I think he would be a great fit with what we're trying to do at Louisville."

With his commitment now wrapped up, Oden said he's done taking visits and will only visit the Cardinals over the summer and during the fall.

"This is it for me," he said. "Once I made my mind up I knew Louisville was the place for me and I'm happy to be a Cardinal."

Oden is the 10th commitment to join Louisville's 2016 class and the Cardinals highest-ranked commitment to date.