Jeff Brohm Hoping to Continue Tradition of Developing Walk-Ons at Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - One aspect of the Louisville football program that many fans came to expect on a yearly basis during the Scott Satterfield era is that there would always be a heavy walk-on presence. Fortunately, one thing that he was good at during his time with the Cardinals was his ability to mold walk-ons
Players such tight end Marshon Ford, placekicker James Turner, offensive lineman Tyler Haycraft and defensive ends Ramon Puryear and Mason Reiger all started their football careers as walk-ons. All of them made noticeable impacts for the Cardinals during Satterfield's time at the helm.
Returning to coach his alma mater following a six-year run as the head coach at Purdue, Jeff Brohm is hoping to not only continue upon Louisville's recent tradition of developing walk-on, but continuing his own that he established with the Boilermakers.
"Well, I hope so," Brohm said during his traditional signing day presser when asked if he wanted to carry on his traditional of developing walk-ons. "I think that we have had success with a lot of walk-ons doing very well for us. These guys have earned their stripes and done it the hard way, so we're always excited when they do well."
Brohm certainly hasn't shied away from developing walk-ons and having them take on large roles on his teams, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Quarterback Aidan O'Connell began his career as a walk-on, and he has thrown for 9,219 yards and 65 touchdowns in his four-year career with the Boilermakers. Wide receiver Charlie Jones walked on at Iowa before transferring to Purdue last offseason, and finished the 2022 season with 110 receptions (most in FBS) for 1,361 yards (second-most) and 12 touchdowns (fifth-most). Running back Devin Mockobee came out of nowhere to rush for 968 yards and nine touchdowns this past season, and was recently put on scholarship by new Purdue head coach Ryan Walters.
During the first month or so of his tenure as the Cardinals' head coach after being hired back on Dec. 8, 2022, Brohm put almost of his recruiting efforts into salvaging Louisville's 2023 class and countering portal defections with high-impact transfers. Now that the dust has settled a bit, he and his staff are starting to spend some time identifying walk-ons that they want to take in.
Over the last few weeks, Louisville has had seven preferred walk-on commit, and every one has local ties. Five are from the city of Louisville in Ballard defensive back Jaden Minkins (who is a UofL legacy recruit), St. Xavier linebacker Jaxon Panariello, Trinity punter Carter Schwartz, Eastern OL/DL lineman Quintez Thomas and DeSales OL/DL James Tyson.
The other two are prospects from the state of Kentucky: Mount Washington (Ky.) Bullitt East quarterback Travis Egan - who is the reigning Kentucky Mr. Football - and Versailles (Ky.) Woodford County linebacker Preston Stacy.
Brohm says he doesn't know how many walk-ons he wants to add to his rosters, but he does want to continue to add them if he thinks can help Louisville, especially ones that are either from the city or the state.
"We definitely want to add to the roster, especially locally and in the state," he said. "Guys who want to be a part of Louisville football, we want them to come and do that. We will give them an opportunity to get on the field if that's what they want to do."
(Photo of Travis Egan: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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