Louisville adds North Carolina EDGE Tyler Thompson out of transfer portal
Louisville picks up a transfer portal commitment (No. 18) from former North Carolina edge rusher Tyler Thompson.
In three years of college football, Thompson has appeared in 27 career games and has two years of eligibility remaining.
Thompson signed with UNC as a highly coveted recruit in the 2023 class. He played for Panther Creek High School in Cary, North Carolina, and was a two-time all-state honoree. In three years playing varsity football, Thompson tallied 191 tackles, 84 tackles for loss, and 39 sacks. Ranked as a four-star prospect and top-20 EDGE, he chose the Tar Heels over Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan, Washington, Duke, Minnesota, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Boston College.
Thompson made the most of his three opportunities on the field as a true freshman. In his final game of the year, he managed to have a fumble recovery and a tackle for loss in a win over Campbell. During year two, Thompson saw action in 12 games, including a pair of starts against Charlotte and NC Central. He finished the season with 5 tackles and two QB hurries.
Under new head coach Bill Belichick, Thompson performed at an extremely high level last season. Despite the underwhelming record, he managed to be a bright spot for the Tar Heels’ defense. Thompson finished the year with 26 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Through a four-game stretch in the middle of the year, he had 14 tackles and all 7 of his sacks, including three in a win over Stanford.
Standing at 6 feet 4 and 240 pounds, Thompson led North Carolina with an 85 PFF grade last season. Second on his team in sacks and leading them in forced fumbles, he is a massive pickup for this Louisville defense. Thompson is currently the 16th-ranked edge rusher and 135th overall player in the transfer portal.
Louisville will return key pieces on defense, including Clev Lubin, Antonio Watts, and TJ Capers, amongst others. Still in search of their next defensive coordinator, the Cardinals are trying to repeat as one of the best defenses in the ACC.
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