Highly touted EDGE AJ Green announces his return to Louisville
University of Louisville edge rusher AJ Green has announced his intent to opt out of the transfer portal and return for his junior season. Green was a huge piece to this defense last season and has appeared in 29 career games for the Cardinals.
Ole Miss, SMU, and Texas A&M were both heavily involved in Green’s recruitment, a source told Cardinal Sports.
Announcing his decision to enter the transfer portal on December 24th, Louisville thought they were losing one of their rising stars. Once in the portal, Green was ranked the 48th best player overall and the sixth best at his position.
Green was ranked as a four-star prospect in the 2023 class out of Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Georgia. He chose Louisville over schools like Arkansas, Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Michigan, Miami, Tennessee, among others, and redshirted his freshman year.
In 2024, Green saw his role increase drastically, seeing action in all 13 games. He finished his second season with one sack and 3.5 tackles for loss. Standing at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, he possesses the physical tools and upside to be a significant piece of the defensive line.
Green exploded on the scene this past season. He finished with 31 total tackles, 4 sacks, and 6 tackles for loss, all good for career highs. Ending the year on fire, Green recorded 3 sacks in the final 4 regular-season games. The Louisville EDGE recorded key performances in a win over JMU, where he recovered a fumble for a touchdown and a blocked punt in the Cardinals’ bowl win over Toledo.
Green helped the Louisville defense have one of its best seasons under head coach Jeff Brohm. The Cardinals ranked 17th in the country, giving up 303.1 yards per game. This defensive front helped Louisville allow 114.3 rushing yards per game, good for 24th in the country, and average 2.38 sacks per game, ranking 36th in the nation.
This news comes shortly after Clev Lubin announced his return to Louisville. Lubin led the team with 8.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in 2025. Louisville is still looking to replace former defensive coordinator Ron English after he announced his stepping down from the program.
With the transfer portal just opening up, Louisville has already been linked to big-time talent like offensive lineman Robert Wright and Lydon Cooper, along with star wide receiver Iverson Hooks. The solidified pairing of Lubin and Green on defense allows the Cardinal coaching staff to breathe a little bit easier with all this chaos underway.
RELATED: Transfer portal — The latest on Louisville’s visitors, targets, and more
