Stone surprised by Louisville offer

THE LATEST: When coaches stop by Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville to eye-ball their football prospects, and there are a lot of them, one that immediately stands out is Joseph Stone. He is a 6-foot-9, 340 pound offensive tackle in the 2019 class, so he is hard to miss. Stone has been receiving attention from numerous schools since the spring, but he had not offers until Louisville pulled the trigger last week. The Cardinals definitely have his attention.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I was very surprised when Louisville offered me," said Stone. "I had met some of their coaches before, but it was still a surprise. I was sitting at lunch when my coach called me and was like congrats I think you got your first offer. He told me that I needed to call coach Scott from Louisville, and that's when he told me the big news.

"It's an amazing feeling because I've dreamed about playing college football all my life and now I have that opportunity. I've never been there before, but I know that Louisville plays great football. They had the Heisman trophy winner (Lamar Jackson) in 2016 and I’m very excited to get up to Louisville and visit.

"Them being first to offer me means a lot. It showed that Louisville and Coach Scott believed in me. They’re definitely my No. 1 school right now."

RIVALS REACTION: Stone has his first offer and more are to come. He visited Mississippi State Saturday, he plans to visit Memphis this weekend and he is already working on getting up to Louisville. He is on a lot of radars and he will be one many coaches take a long look at this spring. Stone grew up a fan of the Florida Gators, so if Dan Mullen decides to offer, watch out. It is early in the process, so Stone will evaluate all options, but Louisville being first to offer has put the Cardinals in a good spot.