The Case For Cincinnati
Mallory has been on campus at least three teams in an unofficial capacity since March. He has a good relationship with offensive line coach Darrin Hiller and likes the feel of the Cincinnati environment. There is also the matter of the Bearcats depth chart, which will be wide open at guard after Mallory (presumably) takes a red shirt and becomes eligible in 2015. Couple that with Hiller's preference to rotate his offensive linemen, sometimes going 9 and 10 guys deep and Mallory has a chance to contribute for the Bearcats early.
The Case For Louisville
Well, there is the ACC which is, you know good I guess. There is also the return of the most interesting man in college football (if you listen to Cardinal fans). The sell for Petrino's staff is a simple one, they play in the better conference, have the bigger stadium, and have more money in general. As much as I dislike admitting it, there are worse places to spend five (or six) years.
The Call
The momentum for the Cardinals is tangible, in may they weren't really in play but they have made up a ton of ground. He has been to Louisville three times, most recently at the end of July before heading off to Bradenton for his final season of high school football at IMG academy. Reportedly he has not been back to Cincinnati since early June. That is plenty of reason for Cardinal fans to be excited.
What the Bearcats have to offer that the Cardinals don't is the chance to play early. Hiller's willingness to play a lot of guys, and to play guys at a young age has to be appealing. Deyshawn Bond played, and played well last year as a redshirt freshman. Ryan Leahy is going to play a ton of football this year as a sophomore. Playing time is what the Bearcats are selling, and its something the Cardinals can't really offer. They signed 7 offensive linemen in the 2013 and 14 classes and already have a guard committed in Chandler Jones. Today we find out if that's enough for the Bearcats.