3-star DL Xavier Porter commits to Louisville: ‘I am a Cardinal’

Xavier Porter knew in the middle of his official visit that he was going to go to Louisville. Now, a little over a month later, he has announced his commitment to the Louisville Cardinals. Porter chose the Cardinals over Kansas and Penn State.

Porter, a three-star defensive lineman out of Tampa Catholic, took only one trip to Louisville. That was enough.

“The most important factor for me was my feeling on the official visit,” Porter said. “It was my only time there, so me having that feeling on campus made a big impact on me. They went over everything. From the classes, to their football program to their plan for me. It just fit what I was looking for. I want to major in Communications, and they have a great program, so I know I would be taken care of.”

Official visits made the difference for Porter

Porter also took official visits to Penn State and Kansas after his trip to Louisville. Comparing those visits was key to his final decision, even though he’d known for a couple of weeks where he would end up.

“Louisville has always been in the mix, I just needed to visit,” Porter said. “They had been recruiting me hard, and I knew they wanted me, so I just needed to get on campus. When I took my official visit, I knew about midway through that I was going to Louisville. The deciding factor was just comparing the visits and I felt best about Louisville.

“It came down to where I felt the most comfortable at. When I came back from my official visit to Kansas, I knew it was Louisville,” Porter continued. “I liked Kansas a lot, but my feeling when I got back from Louisville was different. I have known for a couple of weeks that Louisville was the school I wanted to go to.”

One persistent relationship and one new one helped draw Porter toward the Cardinals. Defensive line-turned-linebackers coach Mark Ivey has built close ties with Porter over the years. Then, new defensive line coach Mark Hagen made his own impression after joining the new staff.

“Coach Mark Ivey has been recruiting me for years, so he has made me feel like a priority for Louisville,” Porter said. “My relationship with him is the best I have with any coach recruiting me. He moved to linebackers under the new head coach, so then Coach Mark Hagen came in and made a strong impression too as the new defensive line coach. I just felt wanted by this staff and they all feel I can be a big part of what they want to do.”

Brohm can ‘put Louisville in the playoffs’

Regarding that “new head coach,” Jeff Brohm comes to Louisville after six seasons as the head coach at Purdue. He led the Boilermakers to a Big Ten Championship appearance and returns to the school where he played quarterback.

“Coach Jeff Brohm is coming back to Louisville and his goal is to build a team that can compete for national championships consistently,” Porter said. “He has a plan, he is a coach I want to play for and he is a guy that can put Louisville in the playoffs. I like his personality and how chill he and his staff are. They are easy to talk to, but then when it comes to the on-the-field stuff, they are going to push hard. I like Coach Brohm and the coaching staff a lot.”

After that one trip to Louisville, this is it for Porter, who said he is shutting down his commitment.

“I am a Cardinal,” Porter said.