Charlie Strong Is Doing Whatever He Can To Make Louisville A Contender

The Louisville Cardinals were once a program on the rise.

Bobby Petrino took over the reigns in 2003 and led the Cardinals to four straight winning seasons—including a Big East Championship and an Orange Bowl win in 2006.

That was then, this is now.

Charlie Strong was named head coach of the Cardinals program in December 2009 and he's been hard at work trying to make the team competitive again (they finished 4-8 last year)—he's got plenty of work to do.

The Cardinals were ranked near the bottom of the Big East in nearly every offensive and defensive category last season and need help everywhere. As a first-time head coach, Strong doesn't seem shy about bringing in that help—no matter how character flawed—if it means his team could benefit.

His first major pick-up was Demar Dorsey.

The former four-star defensive back who signed with Michigan this past February, failed to qualify for entry into the Wolverines program and was released from his commitment. Charlie Strong, who recruited Dorsey while he was the defensive coordinator at Florida, was more than willing to swoop in and claim the cast-off.

He will be a nice addition to a Louisville secondary that was respectable in 2009 but lacked any significant playmakers. It was a big grab for Strong and his staff as Dorsey will make the secondary considerably better and is likely to start immediately.

He will be joined by Jordan Campbell, a former linebacker for the USC Trojans.
He appeared in six games for the Trojans last season, netting nine tackles.

His decision to transfer to Louisville had a little to do with his familiarity with the defensive scheme. The Cards run a system similar to that of USC. Plus, he won't be required to sit out a year due to the sanctions imposed on the Trojans—he will have two years of eligibility left.

Campbell was rated a four-star linebacker out of California and will add game experience to a Louisville corps that lost both of its starters to graduation.

However, he doesn't come without baggage.

Like Dorsey, Campbell also has not been a stranger to trouble. Just this past spring, he got into hot water with new head coach, Lane Kiffin, after he missed some tutoring sessions. He was given a warning and told to get his act together—to no avail.

After a second violation of team rules, it was thought that Lane Kiffin might even consider kicking Campbell off the team. Enter the sanctions and Campbell was ready to fly the coup. 

He decided on Louisville after looking at both Cincinnati, West Virginia, and Ole Miss—among others.

It is clear that Strong is making a statement about how serious he is taking his goal to rebuild Louisville into a Big East powerhouse.

If his gambles pay off, he may very well have the last laugh.