Saunders surprised by Louisville official

Durham (N.C.) Riverside lineman Wesley Saunders made the trip to Louisville this past weekend for his first official visit of the recruiting season. The 6-foot-5, 270-pounder took in the Cardinals stunning lopsided victory over Miami, but more about the trip impressed Saunders besides just the game.

"It was a great visit and I had a wonderful time up there with a few of the recruits," he said. "I got to hang out with Mark Barnes, Luther Davis and Jamar Jackson. It was a really great time.

"I arrived on Saturday morning and went to the game. Then on Sunday I did all the academics and saw the campus. The academics really surprised me and I was impressed by them."

The game was a big part of the visit and it helped that Louisville won.

"It was a pretty one-sided game," he said. "I didn't know Louisville had that kind of firepower, but they played hard and the fans were really supportive of their team. That was unexpected for me because I didn't know they were that serious about football. They are a real powerhouse and the fans were excited.

"On the field, I paid attention to the tight ends since that's what the coaches want me to play. From what I saw, the quarterbacks threw the ball to them seven or eight times and they were open almost all the time. The opportunity to play on offense in that system is exciting. You know defense is good, but the offense is even better."

While on the visit the three-star prospect was able to talk to quite a few of the coaches.

"I talked with coach Petrino along with coach Wolthausen and others," he said. "They were all basically telling me that I can play early. They also talked about how much they need tight ends since they only have one."

Overall the visit was a very good one for Saunders.

"I'd probably rate the trip about a nine," he said. "A lot of the stuff on my visit was unexpected and I got a lot out of it. I didn't expect the fan support and academics to be that good, but it was."

At this time, the No. 12 player in North Carolina remains wide open.

"I'm not sure who else I'm visiting besides Penn State next month," he said. "I plan to go there on October 14th and I look forward to seeing whatever they can show me."