Male defensive back Jeremiah Collins among 5 Louisville football commits in 24 hours

The Louisville football program had more than 40 recruits on campus for visits on Saturday in what proved to be a crucial recruiting weekend for the program.

The Cardinals opened the weekend with big news, a commitment from four-star quarterback Pierce Clarkson. We already outlined what his commitment means to the program, so now we'll dive into the other recruits that verbally committed to Louisville.

We'll also take a look at other players to watch as the Cardinals continue to make a push on a 2023 class that is shaping up to be one of the best in the Scott Satterfield era.

More: Why Pierce Clarkson's commitment to Louisville football is such a big deal for 2023 class

Here's a recap of the five commits Louisville got in the last 24 hours.

Jeremiah Collins

The lone hometown prospect of the group, so far, Collins has been on Louisville's radar for some time now.

The three-star defensive back from Male chose Louisville after his visit this weekend. He had offers from Kentucky, Purdue, Illinois and others.

Collins will bring good size at 6-foot-2 for the Cardinals and should be able to gain some weight in the next few years, as he is currently just 150 pounds.

Louisville needs depth at defensive back and Collins was the one to begin the momentum on Sunday afternoon for the Cardinals. It's also always a good sign to have a local recruit on the board so early as well.

Martel Hight

Hight jumped on board Monday morning, the fifth recruit to commit in 24 hours. He is a bit unknown on 247Sports database, being unranked, but the Georgia native chose Louisville over offers from Kentucky, Florida and others.

Hight, a 5-foot-11 corner, is a four-star corner on the on3 database and a three-star defensive back on Rivals.

Regardless of his rating, Louisville is adding a lot of depth at corner in the 2023 class, something it desperately needs.

Antonio Watts

Watts is another secondary option, but is a safety, not a corner.

The Georgia native chose Louisville and will be a late addition to the 2022 class, expected to sign on Wednesday. He is unranked on 247, but is a 2-star on Rivals and a 3-star in the on3 database.

Watts comes to Louisville with good size already at 6-foot-1 and is just over 180 pounds. Louisville will return a few safeties in Benjamin Perry, Kenderick Duncan Jr. and Josh Minkins, but the Cards are hoping Watts can help fill in some depth.

Jayden Williams

Williams is a big addition to the 2022 class.

The USC transfer picked Louisville and was a three-star prospect out of high school, in California. Louisville continues to flex its stronghold on the west coast.

Williams, last season for the Trojans, didn't allow a touchdown according to Pro Football Focus. He had one interception, eight tackles and a tackle for loss for the Trojans.

He'll likely come in and compete for a starting rotations spot for the Cardinals alongside Kei'Trel Clark and Chandler Jones. He has good size already at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds and fills a major hole for the Cardinals at corner entering the season. He'll likely sign this week, on signing day on Wednesday, and join the team in the summer.

More: Freshman Payton Verhulst with a career-high 13 points as Cards beat Duke on Sunday

Jeremiah Caldwell

Another late 2022 addition and one of the best ones, Caldwell committed to Louisville on Sunday and is yet another piece to the secondary.

A four-star corner on Rivals, and 3-star on 247Sports, Caldwell was once a Kentucky commit before flipping his commitment. Tennessee and Michigan State were in the running for the Michigan corner back, as well.

He has great size to play safety for Louisville and was a former wide receiver in high school. At 6-foot-2 and 177 pounds, he could add some weight, but could come in and fight for a rotation spot right away.

He'll likely sign on Wednesday and join the team in the summer.

A few names to watch:

J-Shawn Frausta-Ramos: The four-star corner is high school teammates with Clarkson in California and was on a visit this weekend, as well. He's high on Louisville's 2023 board and his relationship with Clarkson could prove vital for Louisville.

Jayden Davis: A four-star defensive back in the on3 database, he's also a three-star on 247Sports and Rivals. He was on campus for a visit this weekend and is trending to Louisville with predictions on the 247Sports and Rivals databases.

Cameron Teague Robinson CTeagueRob@gannett.com; Twitter: @cj_teague;

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football recruiting: Cards get five commitments in 24 hours