Louisville picked up a pair of commitments in the last 24 hours in offensive tackle DeAndre Herron (Avon, Ind./Avon) and cornerback Devontre Parnell (Winnsboro, S.C./Fairfield Central).Parnell, 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, is a four-star prospect and the No. 19th ranked cornerback in the nation."I have been talking with the Louisville coaches for a very long time," Parnell said. "They have been recruiting me the hardest. Over the spring evaluation period they really got to know me and my parents. Louisville has a really good staff. The team is very young and talented and I want to be a part of their building process."Last season was a good one for this exciting playmaker from the Palmetto State. Parnell recorded 55 tackles and six interceptions. He returned one pick 90 yards for a score and had another 90-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery. Parnell also returned five kicks for scores."Louisville is getting an explosive player with speed," Parnell said. "I can do it all at cornerback. I can play man to man or zone. I can also do it all on special teams."In the end, it came down to three teams for Parnell -- Louisville, Kentucky and NC State."Those were my final three," Parnell said. "But to be honest it was going to be either Louisville or Kentucky and I just felt better with Louisville.Herron is a three-star offensive tackle prospect ranked No. 106 at that position."I loved the coaching staff, the environment and facilities at Louisville," Herron said. "I loved pretty much everything about Louisville. It's the place where I feel at home and I know where I can spend the next four or five years of my life. Plus, it's only about 90 minutes away, although distance was never an issue with me."Herron, 6-5 and 325, says he picked Louisville over Indiana. But the Hoosiers never offered him a scholarship."I was pushing IU but the offer never came," Herron said. "I really only cared about those two schools. I have this opportunity and I have to take it. Louisville is the best fit for me as a player and as a student."Herron is very excited about his opportunity to play offensive tackle for the Cardinals."To me, the game of football is so exciting and that's exactly how I play out there," Herron said. "I love to finish blocks. I like to take over people and take down people. That's the way I play. I play like it's my last play on every down and I play hard on every down."Louisville now has 11 commitments.Hokies land S.C. receiver
Mark Irick (St. Matthews, S.C./Calhoun County) was hoping to make his decision on Friday, which is his birthday. But this three-star receiver thought he couldn't wait any longer, so he committed to Virginia Tech last night."I love the coaching staff," Irick said. "The guys really know what they are doing. Virginia Tech seems to be always playing for their conference championship. I went there for a visit last week and just loved the campus and facilities. I wanted to wait until my birthday to make my commitment. That's on Friday. But I decided to go ahead and do it."Irick, 6-3 and 190 pounds, picked Virginia Tech over Kentucky. Though he's a Hokie, Irick is going to keep his options open."I am because they are talking about grayshirting me," Irick said. "We will see what happens. I know I can go there and help them out early, especially on special teams. We will see what happens with some other schools. The other school I really liked was Kentucky."Irick is Virginia Tech's 20th commitment.