Gas prices keep going up. The availability of airline seats continues to shrink. But that didn't seem to faze the University of Louisville football coaching staff, which found its 2008 recruiting class literally in the four corners of the U.S.

Only one of the incoming players, in fact, is from Kentucky -- linebacker Dexter Heyman from Louisville's Male High School, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, and has a 4.5-second 40-yard dash to his credit.

He'll be joined by four recruits from Ohio, three from Mississippi and California, two from Kansas, Georgia and Texas and one each from Florida, New Jersey, Illinois, Indiana and Louisiana -- 22 in all.

Adding insult to injury (a 28-24 victory on the field in 2007) to Big East rival Cincinnati, all four of the Cardinals' Buckeye state recruits came from the Bearcats' backyard -- three of them from St. Xavier High of Cincinnati, the nation's top-ranked high school team.

Running back Darius Ashley was the offensive catalyst for St. Xavier, rushing for over 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns and gaining 272 yards in the state title game against Mentor, a ch