Shawn Freibert was hoping.

As a student at Trinity High School in the late 1980s, Freibert would ride to school every day with buddy Jeff Brohm. And every day late in their tenure, Freibert wanted to hear only one thing: Brohm saying he had accepted Howard Schnellenberger’s offer to stay home and play college football at Louisville.

Freibert grew up with the Brohms in Louisville and loved the Cardinals, and he knew Brohm was one of the best football players to ever come out of Kentucky. Freibert knew Brohm’s dad, Oscar, played at Louisville. He knew Brohm’s older brother, Greg, already was at Louisville as a freshman.

But Freibert also knew Jeff Brohm was being recruited by “everybody,” after being named Mr. Football at Trinity and wowing college coaches with his athleticism — not only his arm strength — at the quarterback position.

“I didn’t think there was a prayer he was going to Louisville, no matter what Schnellenberger had said,” Freibert said. “He put a lot of pressure on him.

“At the time, Louisville football wasn’t what it is today. I shouldn’t say I didn’t think they had a chance — being at home and his family, I knew all that was important to him. But when every school in the country is after you …”