Highlights & Evaluation: Louisville LB Commit T.J. Capers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Louisville football program has landed their highest-rated prospect in school history, as T.J. Capers has committed to the Cardinals.

Here is Louisville Report’s full evaluation:

Prospect: T.J. Capers
Position: Outside Linebacker/Edge Rusher
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 230 pounds
School: Miami (Fla.) Columbus
Top Offers: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, USC
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat’l Rank): 0.9951 (7th)

T.J. Capers’ Sophomore Year Highlights: HERE (Hudl)

Frame: When firing up the film, you can tell that Capers is every bit of his 6-foot-2 and 230-pound frame. He is already extremely developed in muscle tone for a junior, especially in his upper body. He could also add more to his frame, considering how lengthy his wingspan is for a football player.

Athleticism: For a linebacker, Capers runs like a gazelle, and his laser-timed 4.6 40-yard dash over the summer can back that up. He also has fantastic agility for a prospect of his stature, as he can backpedal quickly in pass coverage, has good lateral quickness in zone coverage, and solid burst off the line as a pass rusher.

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Instincts: Capers is a jack-of-all-trades who excels at every facet of his position. As a pass rusher, he possesses an excellent ability to chase down ballcarriers in the backfield and comes screaming off the edge. With both the speed, physicality and bend he possesses, wins against offensive tackles come natural, not to mention he can also diagnose run plays fairly  easily and explode into the gap for easy tackles for loss. On top of that, he is also a great pass coverage linebacker, particularly in zone coverage where he shows good anticipation for the play and maneuverability inside the zone. Considering his upper tier speed and agility for a linebacker, he can also hold his own in man coverage against tight ends and running backs, and showed in the offseason circuit that he can get his hands on balls in one-on-one matchups.

Polish: As you can imagine, Capers has a lot of position versatility. During his career at Miami (Fla.) Columbus in their 4-3 scheme, he has taken snaps both as an inside linebacker shading towards the weakside, a STAR/ROVER type and a standup pass rusher, and likely projects longterm as the latter depending on how he builds his frame. When it comes to tackling, Capers is an absolute thumper who consistently delivers big hits, while also using his lengthy frame to wrap up. When chasing down quarterbacks and running backs as an EDGE, Capers has a nose for forcing fumbles, whether it’s due to him punching the ball out (which he does with consistency) or the sheer force of his hits. He’s also a multi-sport athlete who plays basketball and runs track & field.

Bottom Line: It’s not hyperbole to say this is the best recruiting win ever by the Louisville football program. No matter where Capers is in the front seven, the Cardinals are getting an elite defender, and he projects as a multi-year starter that could see significant time in year one. This is a fantastic way to kick off the Jeff Brohm era on the recruiting trail.