Louisville gaining momentum in the transfer portal
Five days into the transfer portal, and Louisville has received 13 commitments. The Cardinals have prioritized rebuilding both offense and defensive lines and found their future quarterback.
In terms of prospect rating, the production being brought in so far is better than what they are losing. The Cardinals currently have the 5th-ranked portal class with an average player rating of 72.94, just behind Indiana, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M. Yesterday alone, the Cardinals landed eight new players.
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Louisville’s offense is finding a new identity
The Louisville offense lost Chris Bell, Caullin Lacy, Miller Moss, Pete Nygra, among others, this winter. Coach Jeff and Brian Brohm had big shoes to fill and hit the ground running, filling their biggest needs early.
Retaining their best player has been the biggest portal win, as running back Isaac Brown tested the waters but decided to return for his junior season. Louisville is also expecting fellow running back Keyjuan Brown, tight end Jaleel Skinner, and offensive lineman Lance Robinson to make a return.
After locking up their stars, the Cardinals have pieces to build around. Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz was the first offensive weapon to pull the trigger. In three years with the Buckeyes, he played sporadically, mostly as a backup. Known for his athletic ability, he showed flashes last season and finished with a 95 QBR.
Protecting the future QB1 will be Boston College transfer Eryz Daugherty, Delaware transfer Anwar O’Neal, Georgia Southern transfer Johnnie Brown, and South Carolina transfer Cason Henry. Starting a combined 65 games between the four, there is a veteran presence on this new offensive line. Eryz headlines the group, ranked as the 56th overall player in the portal and 3rd at the IOL position after finishing with a 78.7 pass blocking grade according to PFF. Brown is listed as a top-50 offensive tackle in the portal, choosing the Cardinals over Clemson after being named a third-team all-conference honoree. O’Neal picked Louisville over a couple of SEC schools and has two years of starting experience under his belt. Henry is the latest pickup and ranks as a top-20 OT in the portal.
Yesterday, Louisville landed two massive, both figuratively and literally, tight ends. Tulsa’s leading pass catcher, Brody Foley, joined the fold as the Cardinals’ second-highest rated transfer. Finishing with 528 receiving yards and 9 total touchdowns, Foley is considered the 66th best player in the portal and a top-three player at his position. Louisville needed a new face in the tight end room with Nate Kurisky and Devon Mitchell leaving the program. If that wasn’t enough, the offense landed Tulane TE transfer Justyn Reid, who finished with 200 receiving yards on a college football playoff squad.
Louisville has always had a strong running back room. Retaining I. Brown and K. Brown already set up this team to have a top duo in the country. Running back coach Chris Barclay has created a three-headed monster by bringing in Missouri transfer and top-200 portal player Marquise Davis.
Bulking up on the defensive line
Last season, Louisville allowed 114.3 rushing yards and averaged 2.38 sacks per game, both good for the top-40 in the nation. The Cards will be saying goodbye to productive defensive linemen Wesley Bailey, Rene Konga, Jordan Guerad, and Jerry Lawson.
To fill this void, Louisville picked up commitments from Kentucky transfer twins Jerod and Jacob Smith, Miami transfer Daylen Russell, and Purdue transfer Demeco Kennedy.
The twins are starting their third year of college football next season after a couple of years in Lexington. Jerod is a more traditional interior lineman who was a big impact for the Wildcats last season, finishing with 27 tackles. Jacob is a couple of inches taller, lining up at EDGE, and wasn’t able to get much playing time in Kentucky. Russell is a former high school teammate of current Louisville linebacker TJ Capers. Recruited by the Cardinals in the 2024 class, Russell is finally making his way to the 502 after barely seeing the field on a loaded Miami team. Kennedy is an in-state product who visited Louisville right when the portal opened. Weighing in at over 300 pounds, he has multiple years left.
Louisville retained leading sack artist Clev Lubin, who will pair with rising star AJ Green on the outside of the line. All four of these transfer picks are unproven but have multiple years remaining in their college careers. Size looks to be a big advantage to this group and will be a great help clogging up running holes while the Cardinals’ returning EDGE rushers get to the QB.
What’s next for the Cards?
Early portal success will prove its importance as entries continue to rise.
Coach Brohm has found key pieces on offense, but Antonio Meeks is the only receiver returning who recorded a stat last season. The Cardinals have welcomed elite WR transfers DeAndre Moore, Iverson Hooks, and Wyatt Young on campus. Young recently chose Oklahoma State, while the other two seem to be pivoting in another direction.
Top-50 receivers Colorado transfer Dre’lon Miller and Vanderbilt transfer Tre Richardson are expected on campus in the coming days. Miller has 579 receiving yards in two years, but will also visit Baylor. Richardson had a breakout campaign last season with 806 receiving yards and will visit other top programs like Texas and Georgia.
Louisville is losing multiple players in the secondary, including D’Angelo Hutchinson, JoJo Evans, Jabari Mack, and Corey Gordon. The Cardinals’ passing defense ranked 25th in the country last season but needs to reload in the portal. Tayon Holloway and Justin Agu are the main returning pieces to this position group, but the drop-off in terms of playing time is scarce.
Louisville lost out on two safety prospects to Clemson. Southern Miss transfer Corey Myrick was expected on campus for a visit, but ended up committing to the Tigers. Old Dominion safety Jerome Carter took a trip to Louisville but ended up in Clemson. Iowa transfer and top-15 safety Keon Entringer is a name to watch and is expected to visit campus on Tuesday. With no official word on who the next defensive coordinator will be, the Cardinals will need to play catch-up to bolster their secondary.
Less than a week in, and Louisville has significantly improved its roster. There is still time to secure impact players, but it looks like the ACC will have a new title contender.
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