Dre’Mail Carothers didn’t need a hard sell to end up at Louisville. He needed time, a few visits and a chance to see the place for himself.
The Owensboro Catholic quarterback took multiple trips to campus, including a spring practice, and used those visits to get a real feel for the program and the people running it. That approach helped him settle on a June commitment to the Cardinals, and now the 6-foot-4, 200-pound quarterback is looking ahead to becoming part of Louisville’s future at the position.
“The biggest part of it was just the overall development,” Carothers told Cardinal Authority. “Being under Coach [Jeff] Brohm, that will be a good development system for me and help me get to the next level, and where I want to be in my life.”
The staff connection mattered just as much. Carothers pointed to Jeff Brohm, offensive coordinator Brian Brohm and assistant quarterbacks coach Brian Reader as a big reason Louisville stood out.
“It’s a great relationship,” Carothers said. “They talk to my parents, talk to my sisters, and talk to me. I have a good relationship with all of the staff.”
That family feeling carried weight for Carothers, who comes from a big household with five sisters and a brother. His father, Dre Carothers, said the visit made that clear right away.
“During the trip to campus, it felt like family,” his father, Dre Carothers, told CardinalAuthority. “It felt like they really cared about Dre’Mail’s best interest and in developing him as a quarterback.”
The academic side of the trip also left an impression. Carothers spent about 45 minutes with an academic associate in his intended field of study, talking through what comes next.
“They asked about his interests and what he wants to study, then they paired him up with a counselor in that field,” Dre said. “That really caught my attention there.”
On the field, Owensboro Catholic head coach Jason Morris believes Louisville is getting a quarterback who can work in just about any system. The school’s pro-style offense has already given Carothers a strong foundation.
“The great thing about Dre’Mail is that he’s going to fit about any system,” Morris said. “He’s got the arm strength and athletic ability to run about any kind of offense that you need.”
Morris has known Carothers since he arrived at Owensboro Catholic as a fourth grader, and he says the quarterback’s throwing motion has always stood out.
“The thing that was most impressive with Dre’Mail at a young age, and it’s still the most impressive thing, is how smooth and natural a thrower he is,” Morris said.
Carothers has also changed physically in a big way, going from roughly 5-foot-8 or 5-foot-9 and 130 pounds as a freshman to his current frame. Along with that growth came more maturity and leadership.
One of the first times he showed what he could do came in the state championship as a freshman backup. When Owensboro Catholic’s starter briefly had to leave after his helmet flew off, Carothers stepped in for a 4th-and-32 play and delivered.
“Dre’Mail threw a 40-yard bomb on the money,” Morris said. “It really got us back in the game. As a freshman, that was a really impressive play.”
His profile got another boost at the Elite 11 in Indianapolis, where he held his own against the nation’s top quarterbacks. Morris thinks the best is still ahead.
“You don’t need to look at the star ratings in this case because he found his feet so late,” Morris said. “He led the state in passing.
I don’t see why he won’t improve from that in his senior year. His best days are ahead of him.
He’s a three-star only by ranking. He’s got five-star potential.”
Carothers isn’t backing away from that kind of expectation. He welcomes it.
“I’m a great leader,” Carothers said. “My main goal is to win.
I’m a winner. I’m a playmaker.
I can do anything you need me to do on the field.”
He arrives with a competitive streak sharpened by basketball, baseball and football. His father said he has been taking classes to line up his credits so he could graduate in December if he chooses, and Louisville has left the early-enrollment decision up to him. The main question is whether he wants to play basketball this season and chase a regional championship.
“I haven’t really made that decision,” Dre’Mail said. “I’ll make that decision sometime before school starts, announce it, and let everyone know.”
Through all of it, Carothers keeps coming back to the people around him.
“I wouldn’t be anything without them and the support they give me,” Carothers said. “At the end of the day, I do everything for them.”
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Louisville May Be Further Along With 5-Star PG Than Fans Realize
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He has already taken an official visit to Louisville, along with an official stop at Purdue, and also made an unofficial trip to Kentucky, giving him a broad look at the regional picture around his recruitment. For Louisville, the encouraging part is not just that it is still involved, but that the relationship has stayed active while Alston continues evaluating what comes next before he decides when the time is right. [Read more 🡒]