Report: Louisville DE A.J. Green Withdrawing from Transfer Portal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Just like Isaac Brown and Antonio Watts, Adonijah "A.J." Green has also had a change of heart, and is staying home.

The standout edge rusher for the Louisville football program will withdraw his name from the transfer portal and return for the 2026 season, according to On3's Pete Nakos.

Green had originally announced back on Christmas Eve that he would be entering the portal. The 14-day transfer window opened up this past Friday, and it is the only opportunity for players to enter following the removal of the spring window.

Green is the fourth significant retention for Louisville since the transfer portal window opened up. Star edge rusher Clev Lubin announced on the first day of the window that he would be running it back, while Brown and Watts both doubled back on decisions to transfer.

With Green withdrawing, Louisville has now had 23 players announce their intentions to enter to transfer in this cycle. Fortunately, the Cardinals are starting to gain back their losses via the portal, landing five transfer commitments up to this point.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound edge rusher was a key rotational piece on Louisville's defensive line this season, and put together a career year in the process. Playing in all 13 games while starting the Boca Raton Bowl, Green collected 31 tackles (11 solo), 6.0 for loss, 4.0 sacks, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble for a touchdown. He was third in sacks on the team, as was his his 80.5 defensive grade on Pro Football Focus, and was fifth on the Cards in TFLs.

A native of Atlanta, Green was Louisville's second-highest-ranked commitment in the Class of 2023, coming in as the No. 159 prospect in the cycle per the 247Sports Composite. Following a redshirt year as a true freshman, Green took a step forward in 2024, finishing that season with 12 tackles (eight solo), 3.0 for loss and a sack.

In their third season under head coach Jeff Brohm, Louisville went 9-4 overall, including a 4-4 mark in ACC play and a 27-22 win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Cardinals have won at least nine games in all three seasons under Brohm, doing so for the first time since 2012-14.

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