Louisville Football's Top Transfer Portal Needs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While the transfer portal is not technically open yet, like every other college football program, Louisville has certainly been impacted by the portal already.

As of New Year's Day, the Cardinals have had 18 scholarship players declare their intention to enter the portal since the conclusion of their 2025 regular season, ranging from potential starters to strictly role players.

On top of that, roster movement outside of the program is likely far from over. For starters, the transfer portal officially opens tomorrow, Jan. 2, and the Cardinals will likely see more decide to play elsewhere even with already being at over a dozen declared portal entries.

Even before more players potentially opt to play somewhere else, Louisville has a lot of open spots to fill. The Cards are currently at a 56-man scholarship roster, which is 29 below the traditional 85-man limit. .

The staff is mostly done recruiting out of the high school ranks, so the overwhelming majority, if not all of, Louisville's future additions for the 2026 roster are very likely going to be D1 transfers. While every position will see some transfer additions, what are the position groups that Louisville has to look for in the portal the most?

Here are their three biggest current roster needs:

Quarterback

With this past season being Miller Moss' final year in college, Louisville fans and local media have constantly deliberated on what approach Brohm and Co. should take with the quarterback spot: go the portal route again, or develop in house. Well, looks like we have our answer as to what they will do.

Deuce Adams, who many viewed as the front runner to start next season, declared he will enter the portal earlier this week. Brady Allen, who has been with the program for three years, was one of the first Cards to get out in front of the portal. Then on New Year's Day, Mason Mims decided that one year with the program was enough.

Currently, that gives Louisville just one scholarship players at the position for next year: Briggs Cherry. While Cherry is a highly regarded prospect, he will still be a true freshman next season, and will likely need a good amount of acclimation to the college game.

Louisville has already reportedly kicked the tires on a handful of high-profile quarterback transfers, such as Dylan Raiola, D.J. Lagway and Josh Hoover. It certainly appears that they are wanting to swing big at this position.

Wide Receiver

Of course, a quarterback can sometimes only be as good as the guys he is throwing to. In Louisville's case, their wide receiver room is going to be a lot different in 2026.

For starters, First-Team All-ACC selection and potential first round NFL Draft pick Chris Bell is moving on to the league. Fellow starting wide receivers Caullin Lacy and Dacari Collins are also out of eligibility, plus Kris Hughes and Bobby Golden are planning to hit the portal.

Louisville has just three returning wideouts for next season, and only Antonio Meeks logged any stats this past season. He finished the year with 17 catches for 189 yards and touchdown. In fact, the other two - redshirt sophomore T.J. McWilliams and true freshman Brock Coffman - have not only never caught a pass in college, they've played just a combined 109 offensive snaps in their collegiate careers.

The Cardinals do have four true freshman wide receivers joining the fold, including a highly touted one in Payton Cook. Not to mention tight end and top-200 prospect Julius Miles has some hybrid WR capabilities. But Louisville absolutely has to hit the wide receiver room hard in the portal.

Defensive Line

This past season, Louisville got a lot of production out of their defensive line, and it was a big reason why that side of the ball was so successful. However, it's also an area where there is a fair amount of turnover.

Starting tackles Rene Konga and Jordan Guerad are both graduating, as is starting defensive end Wesley Bailey. Not to mention that key rotational edge rusher A.J. Green is hitting the transfer portal, as are a few other pieces.

As it currently stands, Louisville is getting back star defensive end Clev Lubin. He is coming off of a monstrous 2025 season where he logged 13.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, five pass breakups and three forced fumbles.

However, the majority of the rest of the defensive line - both on the interior and on the edge - is either very young or doesn't have a lot of combined production. The other seven scholarship returners on the D-line combined for 39 tackles and four for loss this past season, and most of that came from Jerry Lawson and Justin Beadles.

Quarterback

Wide Receiver

Defensive Line

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