Looking Back at Louisville Football's 2020 Recruiting Class

At the time, 2019 was viewed as a bit of a rebuilding year for the Louisville football program. It marked then-head coach Scott Satterfield's first year following Bobby Petrino's firing after he had gone 2-8 the year prior.

Of course, the Satterfield era later ended with him taking the job at Cincinnati after the 2022 season, but the start of it was surprisingly successful. The Cardinals would go 8-5 in 2019, resulting in Satterfield winning ACC Coach of the Year.

So how did Satterfield parlay that initial momentum out onto the recruiting trail? Below is every scholarship signee from the 2020 class in alphabetical order, coupled with notes on how they panned out at Louisville:

Kobe Baynes

Position: Offensive Tackle
UofL Career Stats: One game.

Baynes' only action at Louisville were nine snaps as a backup right tackle at Duke in 2021. He would enter the portal during fall camp ahead of the 2022 season, and spend his final three years in college at Kansas.

Henry Bryant

Position: Defensive Tackle
UofL Career Stats (11 games): Three tackles (one solo), one for loss.

During Bryant's three seasons at Louisville, he only played a combined 46 defensive snaps, although he did play in eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2021. He then transferred to Georgia State where he found a lot more success, combining for 66 tackles, 12 for loss and seven sacks in two seasons.

K.J. Cloyd

Position: Inside Linebacker
UofL Career Stats (36 games): 40 tackles (21 solo), one for loss, two pass breakups, one fumble recovery.

Cloyd was one of five JUCO transfers to commit to Louisville in the 2020 cycle, and despite being the lowest-ranked of that group, he was somewhat productive. While he only started one game in three years as a Card, he was a regular fixture of their linebacker rotation. He was set to be a regular starter in 2023 for his final season and year one under Jeff Brohm, but transferred to Miami after going through spring ball.

Austin Collins

Position: Offensive Guard
UofL Career Stats: 31 games.

Collins was the third-lowest ranked recruit in the cycle to sign with Louisville (No. 1,563 overall), and played just 102 blocking snaps in eight games over his first three years as a Cardinal. But when Brohm took over, he flourished. He stepped in as a starting right guard midway throught the 2023 season, and was the primary right guard in 2024. In 607 pass block snaps over those two years, he allowed just one sack plus 18 total pressures, and was their highest-graded pass blocker (85.1) this past season according to PFF. He entered the spring portal last month, and is set to play his final year in college at Syracuse.

Marvin Dallas

Position: Outside Linebacker
UofL Career Stats (31 games): 33 tackles (23 solo), three for loss, 0.5 sacks, one interception, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble.

Dallas was Louisville's sixth-highest commit in the cycle (and third amongst the JUCO players), but struggled to get consistent playing time. His best statistical season came in 2021, when he logged 21 tackles, two for loss, a pick and two fumble recoveries. However, it was also a season that encapsulated the up-and-down playing time, as he had four games with over 25 defensive snaps played, and another four with less than 10.

Desmond Daniels

Position: Offensive Lineman
UofL Career Stats: None.

Daniels was Louisville's lowest-ranked defensive signee in the class, so as you can imagine, he had a long road to playing time. He never played a single snap for the Cardinals, and hit the portal after the 2021 season, spending time at both Bethune-Cookman and Alabama State.

Jared Dawson

Position: Defensive Tackle
UofL Career Stats (37 games): 51 tackles (29 solo), 14 for loss, 9.0 sacks, one pass breakup, two forced fumbles.

While it took a couple years for Dawson to really get going in college, he wound up becoming one of Louisville's most underrated additions in the class. While he has just two career starts to his name, he was a regular fixture of the Cardinals' defensive line rotation, playing in 32 games over the last three seasons alone. 2024 was his best year to date, logging 19 tackles, seven for loss and four sacks - all of which were career-highs. He has one more year of eligibility, but chose to hit the portal and transfer to Notre Dame for the 2025 season.

YaYa Diaby

Position: Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
UofL Career Stats (34 games): 94 tackles (56 solo), 20 for loss, 10.5 sacks, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries.

A JUCO transfer and Louisville's fifth-highest ranked signee in the cycle, Diaby wound up being their best addition in the Class of 2020. He was a starter on the defensive line the second he stepped on campus, and displayed flashes of NFL-level potential over his first two seasons. That potential came to a head for his third season in 2022, when he collected 37 tackles, 14 for loss and nine sacks. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and is currently a starter for the Bucs and one of the NFL's top young pass rushers.

Christian Fitzpatrick

Position: Wide Receiver
UofL Career Stats (One game): None

The younger brother of Dez Fitzpatrick, who is one of the more underrated receivers in Louisville history, Christian's time as a Cardinal wasn't nearly as lengthy. He played just four snaps in the 2020 season finale vs. Wake Forest, then hit the portal in the offseason. He spent three years at Michigan State, played last season at Marshall where he caught 34 passes for 576 yards and six touchdowns, and is set to play the 2025 season at Oklahoma State.

Lovie Jenkins

Position: Safety
UofL Career Stats (Seven games): Three tackles (one solo).

Jenkins was another player who transferred from Louisville after seeing minimal playing time as a true freshman, but not because of on-field play. He was charged with fourth-degree assault and first-degree criminal mischief following 2021 spring ball, was suspended, then hit the portal that summer after getting released by the judge. He would go on to play three seasons at Florida A&M, then spent last year at Murray State.

Luke Kandra

Position: Offensive Guard
UofL Career Stats: 14 games.

Kandra was Louisville's fourth-highest signee in the class, but his best football was not played for the Cardinals. After only playing a handful of snaps in his first two years, he was a key reserve in 2022, giving up no sacks and only five pressures in 162 pass block snaps. He was set to start the next season, but followed Satterfield to Cincinnati, where he played the final two years of his collegiate career. He earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors this past season, but went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Timothy Lawson

Position: Offensive Tackle
UofL Career Stats: None

Lawson spent his first two years in collegiate with Louisville, but did not make a single in-game appearance. He would later spend time at both Marshall and Morgan State.

Marqui Lowery Jr.

Position: Cornerback
UofL Career Stats: None.

Louisville's third-lowest ranked signee in the cycle, Lowery was another player who opted to transfer after seeing no in-game action as a true freshman. He spent the next three years at Michigan State (and got a fair amount of playing time in 2021), then played this past season at South Dakota.

Nick Malito

Position: Wide Receiver
UofL Career Stats: None

Malito flipped to Louisville from Toledo out of high school, but opted to transfer after seeing no playing time as a true freshman, and did not find a new home.

Duane Martin

Position: Tight End/Fullback
UofL Career Stats (52 games): Eight catches for 101 yards, three rushes for 16 yards and one touchdowns.

While Martin wasn't the one lighting up the scoreboard and putting up insane stats, he was an important piece of Louisville's offense during his time as a Cardinal. He served as a blocking tight end under Satterfield, then made the transition to fullback in his two years under Brohm. Martin logged a 66.6 run block grade in 12 games and three starts, according to PFF, helping RB Isaac Brown log a 1,000-yard season as a true freshman.

Josh Minkins

Position: Safety
UofL Career Stats (40 games): 99 tackles (68 solo), two for loss, one sack, two interceptions, three pass breakups, one forced fumble.

A Ballard HS product and legacy recruit, landing Minkins was a big deal from a local standpoint. Following his redshirt freshman season, Minkins saw his role in the secondary increase in 2021, then was a full-blown starter in 2022. That was his best season as a Cardinal, logging 55 tackles, two for loss, an interception, three pass breakups and a forced fumble. However, injuries limited his availability early in the 2023 season, then subsequently limited his role in the back half of the season when he was fully healthy. He would then enter the portal and play the 2024 season for Satterfield and the Bearcats.

Zay Peterson

Position: Linebacker/Safety
UofL Career Stats (12 games): 11 tackles (seven solo).

After redshirting his true freshman season, Peterson showcased some long term potential on special teams, logging all of his aforementioned stats during that 2021 season. However, he would later opt to transfer to Middle Tennessee.

Trevor Reid

Position: Offensive Tackle
UofL Career Stats: 31 games.

JUCO or high school, Reid was Louisville's highest-ranked signee in the cycle. While Diaby wound up having the best collegiate career of this class, Reid wasn't too shabby, either. He had a minimal role in 2020, but then started at left tackle in all but two games over the next two seasons. In 666 pass block snaps over that span, he allowed only five sacks and 30 total pressures, while posting pass block grades of over 71.0 in both seasons. He has taken part in training camps for the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings, but was also the Saskatchewan Roughriders' starting left tackle in 2024.

Braden Smith

Position: Wide Receiver
UofL Career Stats (28 games): 59 receptions for 653 yards and two touchdowns.

"What if?" is a good way to describe Smith's tenure at Louisville, who was a JUCO transfer. He he caught 27 passes for 370 yards in 2020, but suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the 2021 season. Smith would be arrested for fourth degree assault and harassing communications during the ensuing spring ball, although those charges were later dropped. In 2022, he would go on to catch 21 passes for 215 yards and a score, with the former HS quarterback also going 6-of-8 for 146 yards and a TD. He received a medical hardship waiver to play in 2023, but chose to enter the portal and follow Satt to UC.

Dezmond Tell

Position: Defensive Tackle
UofL Career Stats (54 games): 88 tackles (37 solo), 16 for loss, 5.5 sacks, one fumble forced and one recovered.

Tell's career arc at Louisville followed a very similar one to Dawson's: he was never a lineman who many people talked about, but was one who flew very far under the radar, and was much more important than he gets the credit for. He earned a decent amount of snaps as a true freshman, was a pseudo-starter in 2021, then spent the next three seasons as a starter - only missing one game during the span. While Tell never finished inside the top-five on the team in TFLs or sacks during his time as a starter, his ability to eat up blocks and get pressure on the backfield was a major reason why UofL has had so much success in the front seven over the last few years. He currently has a rookie minicamp invite from the Indianapolis Colts.

Brock Travelstead

Position: Placekicker
UofL Career Stats (64 games): 331 kickoffs for 20,103 yards and 156 touchbacks, 26 punts for 1,031 yards, 35-of-49 on field goal tries, 102-of-104 on extra point attempts.

Travelstead might have been Louisville's lowest-ranked signee in the cycle (2,058th overall), but not only did he wind up playing in every single game over the last five seasons, he finished his collegiate career as Louisville's 10th-leading scorer with 207 career points. He handled kickoff duties all five years, then became the Cardinals' go-to field goal kicker over the last two seasons. He went 17-of-24 on field goals and 39-of-41 on PATs in 2023, then was able to bounce back in 2024, hitting all 58 PAT tried while going 18-of-25 on FGs. This included a 56-yard make at Notre Dame, which is a school record.

Greedy Vance

Position: Cornerback
UofL Career Stats (16 games): 37 tackles (34 solo), one for loss, seven pass breakups, one fumble recovery.

Vance was Louisville's third-highest signee in the class, so as you can imagine, it didn't take long for him to make an impact. Playing them minimum before redshirting his true freshman, he broke out in a big way in 2021, trailing only future NFL draftee Kei'Trel Clark on the team in pass breakups. However, he then hit the portal after his breakout year, playing two years at Florida State before spending this past season at USC.

Jordan Watkins

Position: Wide Receiver
UofL Career Stats (20 games): 43 receptions for 586 yards and four touchdowns, plus a 23-yard touchdown run.

Another local product who chose to stay home, Watkins could have become the next homegrown great. As a redshirt freshman in 2021, he caught 35 passes for 529 yards and four scores, and was in line to take on a much bigger role in 2022. However, chose to transfer to Ole Miss, where this potential would be further realized and became a go-to fixture of their offense over the next three seasons. His 142 receptions for 2,096 yards are both ninth all-time in Rebels history, while his 14 receiving touchdowns are tied for 12th. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Tee Webb

Position: Quarterback
UofL Career Stats: None.

Webb was the lone quarterback signee in the class, and was someone whom the staff at the time was very high on. However, he would transfer after not seeing any action as a true freshman, later playing a pair of seasons at Southern Miss as a backup.

Kam Wilson

Position: Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
UofL Career Stats (29 games): 21 tackles (12 solo), three for loss, two sacks, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.

Wilson was Louisville's highest-ranked high school signee in the cycle at No. 525 overall, but never truly was able to tap into his raw potential. He didn't see much action over his first three years on campus, but was able to log 14 tackles and three for loss as a go-to reserve in the linebacking corps. Like so many other players in this class, he would play his final season in college at Cincinnati.

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