Offseason Spotlight: Louisville All-City Standouts
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After an action-packed season of high school football in the Bluegrass State last year, it’s time to look back at some of the most impressive performers from all across the state of Kentucky. Today, we will be continuing my new…
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Continue ReadingAfter an action-packed season of high school football in the Bluegrass State last year, it’s time to look back at some of the most impressive performers from all across the state of Kentucky. Today, we will be continuing my new series called “Offseason Spotlight” as we move onto a new city to break down some more top talent. We will be looking at the city of Louisville, an area with no shortage of talented players. Without any further ado, here’s my list of Louisville All-City standouts to keep an eye on in the 2023 campaign.
Highlights
At the top of my list of standouts is Trevor Havill Trevor Havill 6'5" | 190 lbs | QB Avon Old Farm | 2025 New E , a 6-foot-5, 210-pound quarterback out of St. Xavier High School. Havill made a huge offensive impact at the helm of the Tigers’ offense during his junior season last year. In 11 contests, Havill threw 81 completions out of 135 attempts for 1,006 yards and 12 touchdowns. Havill additionally picked up 61 yards and four scores on the ground. In addition to impressive size and speed, Havill is an incredibly versatile quarterback as he can escape defensive pressure with his quickness, and utilize his arm strength and pin-point accuracy to connect with his receivers anywhere on the field.
Highlights
Coming in at close second place on my list of standouts is Kolter Smith Kolter Smith 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Louisville Male | 2024 State KY , a 6-foot-0, 190-pound quarterback out of Louisville Male High School. Smith was an explosive offensive weapon at the helm of the Bulldogs’ offense during his junior stint of high school football last year. In 12 games, Smith threw 56 completions out of 96 attempts for 871 yards and 12 touchdowns. Smith also picked up five yards on the ground. In addition to excellent size, speed and versatility, Smith impresses me with his strong passing game as his solid arm strength and pin-point accuracy made him a commanding offensive presence on the field last season.
Finishing at number three on my list of standouts is Malachi Embers Malachi Embers 5'9" | 150 lbs | WR Carroll County | 2024 State KY , a 5-foot-10, 170-pound wide receiver out of Christian Academy of Louisville. Embers was one of the most explosive offensive machines on the Centurions’ roster during his junior season last year. In 13 contests, Embers hauled in 10 receptions for 186 yards and five touchdowns. Embers also rushed for five yards on one attempt this past season. On top of his impressive size and speed, Embers is explosive, versatile and plays with excellent to physicality down the stretch, making him a difficult offensive weapon to defend in coverage. Embers also showcased his ability to get on the board last year and will likely continue to establish himself offensively in the 2023 campaign.
Max Gainey Max Gainey 5'9" | 155 lbs | WR Louisville Male | 2024 State KY , a 5-foot-9, 150-pound wide receiver out of Louisville Male High School. Gainey played a huge offensive role for the Bulldogs during his junior season of high school football. In seven games, Gainey hauled in 37 receptions for 445 yards and five touchdowns. Gainey additionally made one rush attempt for seven yards. With impressive size, speed and physicality down the stretch, Gainey is a consistent receiving talent that showcased his ability to be impactful offensively last season in just seven games. Entering the 2023 season, Gainey will likely play an even bigger role on Male’s offense.
Solomon Conley Solomon Conley 5'10" | 180 lbs | LB Louisville Male | 2025 State KY , a 5-foot-10, 185-pound linebacker out of Louisville Male High School. Conley was one of the most explosive defensive weapons on the Bulldogs’ roster during his sophomore season of high school football last year. In 10 contests, Conley picked up 98 total tackles, including 41 solo stops, 57 assisted takedowns and two tackles for loss. In addition to impressive size and speed, Conley plays with excellent physicality and explosiveness, showcasing his ability to pick apart the offensive line, create defensive pressure and consistently make stops.
Highlights
Montel Campbell Montel Campbell 6'1" | 195 lbs | DB Ballard Of Louisville,Ky | 2024 State KY , a 6-foot-1, 200-pound defensive back out of Ballard High School of Louisville. Campbell provided major strength and firepower to the Bruins’ defense during his junior season last year. In 14 games, Campbell picked up 76 total tackles, including 34 solo stops, 42 assisted takedowns, one tackle for loss and one sack. Campbell additionally led Ballard in interceptions on the year, recording three for 12 yards and one touchdown. In addition to impressive size and speed, the rising senior out of Louisville, KY. plays with excellent versatility and toughness as he can easily break free of the offensive line and get to the quarterback, and make significant stops.
George Black George Black 6'0" | 240 lbs | DL Louisville Central | 2025 State KY , a 6-foot-0, 230-pound defensive lineman out of Louisville Central High School. Black was a major difference maker defensively for the Yellow Jackets during his sophomore season of high school football last year. In 12 contests, Black picked up 41 total tackles, including 40 solo stops, one assisted takedown and two sacks. In addition to impressive size, speed and physicality on the defensive side of the ball, Black showed off his ability to be explosive and impactful, making more than a few significant stops last year. Entering the 2023 campaign, the rising junior out of Louisville, KY. will likely be even more of a gamechanger.