Louisville Football's Biggest Post-Spring Transfer Portal Needs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Like every other college football program at the Division I level, Louisville has certainly been impacted by the transfer portal this offseason.
Roughly a month removed from the end of spring practice, the Cardinals have had 14 players enter the portal this cycle, ranging from potential starters to strictly role players.
On the other side of that coin, head coach Scott Satterfield and the rest of the coaching staff has done a solid job at bringing in talent via the portal. They've landed 10 players through the portal, and when taking into account returners and their 2022 recruiting class, they now sit at the 85-man scholarship player limit.
Related: Who’s In, Who’s Out and Who’s Back for Louisville Football in 2022
But, Louisville could very well still be navigating transfer portal. When asked after the spring game if the Cardinals would still be recruiting players in the portal - at a time when they were actually in line to be over the scholarship limit for next season - Satterfield responded with "absolutely".
"We want to continue to put some players out on this team, that we need, and they're going to be ready to play," he said.
So what type of players should Louisville look for in the portal if they were to add more pieces? Here are their three biggest team needs following spring ball and heading into the summer months:
Nose Tackle
Louisville actually has a little bit of depth here. Despite guys like Derek Dorsey, Jacques Turner and Malik Clark graduating, there are still five nose tackles on the roster: Henry Bryant, Jared Dawson, Dezmond Tell, Caleb Banks and Tawfiq Thomas.
But here, it's not necessarily the numbers as to why the Cardinals need another player here, it's the production.
Over the last several years, nose tackle - and defensive line in general - has not been a particularly productive spot for Louisville. The Cardinals' three main NT's in 2021 - Clark, Tell and Turner - combined for just 24 tackles, 1.5 for loss and 2.0 sacks.
Louisville looks to be good at defensive end next season, but if the Cardinals are to consistently generate pressure in the backfield and on the quarterback, they need a complete defensive line. Banks has breakout potential after redshirting, and Thomas will be good later down the line, but the program needs a bona fide playmaker in the middle this season.
Wide Receiver
For the second offseason in a row, Louisville is heading into a season with seemingly a completely new wide receiver room. This year, five players here - including three of their top five from 2021 - either transferred or graduated.
The program was starting to get back in the swing of things during spring ball after Jordan Watkins and Justin Marshall transferred, adding Tyler Hudson and Dee Wiggins to the mix and seemingly hitting their stride.
But then Alabama happened, and the next thing we know, Tyler Harrell is heading to Tuscaloosa. Now, Louisville has just three returners from last year at wideout. Ahmari Huggins-Bruce seems to be in line to make a big jump, but Braden Smith is coming off a bad knee injury, and Josh Johnson is a role player at best.
The program does bring in a trio of solid freshmen at the position, and a starting core of AHB-Smith-Hudson-Wiggins should be enough for Louisville to compete given their depth at running back, but an additional key contributor at wide receiver might be needed to complete the room.
Outside Linebacker
I'll preface this by saying that Louisville does have a couple playmakers here already. Yasir Abdullah is one of the best pass rushers in the ACC, and Marvin Dallas looks to be a potential starter next season after looking phenomenal in spurts.
Kam Wilson had to miss most of the season due to injury but should be in line to rebound in the fall, and Ben Perry is making the transition from safety to his more natural position at CARD. But after those four, there is quite literally no one behind them.
Converted safety Jack Fagot, who was the starter alongside Abdullah, graduated after an underrated final season. After Zay Peterson and Nick Okeke opted to transfer, Louisville only has Abdullah, Dallas, Wilson and Perry in their OLB room.
In the interim, other players are probably cross training at this position. T.J. Quinn was a safety coming out of high school just like Perry was before transitioning to inside linebacker, and Jackson Hamilton played both inside and out.
But even if players do cross train, Louisville would still be in a slight bind for depth. It's not their biggest need per se, but one that they could explore if a transfer was the perfect fit and the first two needs were addressed beforehand.
(Photo of Scott Satterfield: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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