Louisville lands four-star 2024 Florida DL Xavier Porter
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
A three-team race between Louisville, Penn State, and Kansas went down to the wire for Xavier Porter (6-4, 275) with the Cardinals coming out on top. The four-star from Tampa Catholic (Fla.) was won over by Louisville during his official with a plan that can help him develop towards the dream of playing in the NFL.
Running down his options between the Cardinals, Nittany Lions, and Jayhawks, Porter was asked which team had the best plan for him.
“I feel like Louisville has the best plan for me as far as my development as a player and as a person,” Porter said.
Reflecting on the journey with the Cardinals, Porter shared, “It was like crazy. I was at other schools that were in my top schools, but they were always that school that I knew if I went there for a visit I would commit there.
“They always wanted me. Coach (Mark) Ivey (LB) was recruiting me for like two years. I developed a strong relationship with him. When the new staff came in, I still had that relationship with coach Ivey. I would love to play for him and coach (Mark) Hagen (DL).
“Coach Hagen has a great plan for me. He turns guys into first round picks; I feel he can do that for me. I feel comfortable with the players there, and I feel that we can win a natty; they are always in the mix. With me coming in, I feel like we can win a natty.”
From the jump, Louisville stayed consistent letting Porter know he is a priority in the 2024 class.
“Other schools kind of fell off, but Louisville didn’t,” Porter shared. “They were consistent with me. They always let me go through the process, they let me take my time. Some coaches try to get you to go there, which is stressful, but they let me go through the process; I respected that.”
Louisville co-defensive coordinators Mark Hagen and Ron English see Porter as a versatile piece in their scheme.
“They want to use me as a twitchy three-tech,” Porter stated. “They want me getting my paws on someone. But I can also play nose depending on the formation and the strongside. I feel like I will be the “X” factor on that defensive line soon.”
The Cardinals’ staff have known the good news for a few weeks.
“I committed to the staff on June 20,” Porter said. “I committed to coach Ivey and coach Hagen, both were recruiting me, and I let coach (Jeff) Brohm know the good news too.”
Porter shared his feelings making that verbal pledge to Louisville, “My reaction – I felt relieved. With so many schools hitting me up, it was crazy. Committing – it is something you can’t explain.”
*Before the commitment, Xavier Porter’s RNG interview covering his top schools.