Nick Dawson, Keith Brown Commit To Louisville At U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Charlie Strong's ability to recruit has been the single biggest factor in his resurrection of the Louisville football program the previous two seasons. That recruiting ability was once again on display at today's U.S. Army All-American Bowl. In an exhibition game featuring many of the nation's best high school prospects, Louisville landed commitments from linebackers Keith Brown from Miami and Nick Dawson from Charlotte. Both linebacker commits were crucial to a Louisville defense looking to replace senior start Dexter Heyman to graduation.

Both Brown and Dawson are rated four-star prospects by the nation's recruiting services and both will have the opportunity to see early playing time and perhaps start. With only sophomore Preston Brown returning as a dependable starter, there will be plenty of opportunities for both to see the field early. Brown was already committed at one time to both Miami and Illinois before coaching instabilities caused him to look around. Dawson has long been Charlie Strong's main target for the class of 2012. Dawson's father lives in Louisville, something that played a big role in his decision.

You can read the SB Nation Recruiting synopsis on Nick Dawson here and Keith Brown here. Louisville's recruiting class, with the additions of Brown and Dawson, will be a fringe top 25 class which would rank 3rd or 4th in the Big East behind Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Cincinnati.

For more coverage of Big East football recruiting, visit our football recruiting section.