Louisville Football's Biggest Post-Spring Transfer Portal Needs

These are the three positions that the Cardinals need to explore in the transfer portal following spring ball.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As quickly as it began, spring practice for the Louisville football program is now in the rear view mirror. The Cardinals capped off their set of 15 spring practices with their annual spring game this past Friday, the first under new head coach Jeff Brohm.

The program has a few weeks off before reconvening for summer conditioning, but in the interim, Brohm and the rest of his coaching staff has a more immediate task on their hands: filling out the remaining roster spots through the transfer portal. 

Louisville has done a good job at replacing departing talent via both the portal and high school ranks, but there is still work to be done. As of this writing, the Cardinals sport a roster with 82 scholarship players, which is three spots short of the 85-man scholarship limit.

Related: Who’s In, Who’s Out and Who’s Back for Louisville Football in 2024

There's also a chance that more players could enter the portal. The current spring transfer portal window, which opened back on Apr. 16, doesn't close until May 1. Heading into this week, Brohm and his staff will have individual player meetings, and the prospect of entering the portal could come up.

So what type of players should Louisville look for in the portal? Here are their three biggest team needs following spring ball and heading into the summer months:

Offensive Line

Just like last offseason, Louisville's offensive line is seeing a lot of roster movement. First-Team All-ACC center Bryan Hudson, as well as starting tackles Willie Tyler and Eric Miller have all graduated and are now preparing for the NFL. A handful of other depth pieces have either graduated or entered the portal as well.

That being said, Louisville's starting offensive line in 2024 should be pretty good. They bring back starting left guard Michael Gonzalez, and fellow returners Renato Brown and Lance Robinson should see large roles next season. Transfer additions in Monroe Mills, Pete Nygra and Jonathan Mendoza should help bolster this unit as well.

But like this time last year, the problem with the offensive line is that outside of a couple players, there is not a ton of quality depth. Based on performances in spring ball, a few other guys have a chance to crack the main rotation, but not many.

While the offensive line actually did well during the spring game, there were several instances during the various open practices where they struggled. Open rushing lanes weren't as common as you would like (which is partially because of how dominant Louisville's front seven is), and far too often edge rushers were able to get a free shot on the backfield simply due to missed assignments.

Wide Receiver

Last season, Louisville's passing game wasn't quite as prolific as many hoped it would be, and it was partially because of the wide receiver room. Outside of Jamari Thrash, there was a consistent option in the passing attack, which was very obvious in the second half of the season when Thrash was banged up.

Because of this, with guys like Kevin Coleman Jr. and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce hitting the portal and Thrash heading to the NFL, the wide receiver room was a point of emphasis this offseason for Brohm and his staff. Transfer Ja'Corey Brooks and Caullin Lacy should be reliable options this fall, and returners Chris Bell and Jadon Thompson have both taken steps forward in the spring.

Even so, there are still some lingering questions regarding the room and its potential behind the expected main group of receivers. Will Antonio Meeks be able to handle to jump from D2? Can Jimmy Calloway cut down on his drops? Can any of the remaining four scholarship wideouts (who are all either sophomores or freshmen) take on a sizable role?

The addition of transfer quarterback Tyler Shough *should* help Louisville have a much improved passing game given his body of work, skill set and how he performed in the spring. But it also couldn't hurt to bring in one more WR1 caliber of wideout for the room.

Defensive Line

Between returning impact playmakers, developing younger pieces and brining in productive and talented transfers, Louisville's defensive line is brimming with talent for the 2024 season.

All-American Ashton Gillotte headline the group, and transfers Thor Griffith, Tyler Baron and Jordan Guerad will only make the starting D-line that much more overwhelming. Guys like Ramon Puryear, Mason Reiger, Jared Dawson will give it some quality depth as well.

Unfortunately, this is a unit that has been hit extremely hard by the injury bug during spring ball. Baron has been in a sling all spring. Reiger, Dawson, Selah Brown and Adonijah Green all were not dressed for the spring game. While we don't know the extent of these various injuries, comments from Brohm suggest it could be a stretch to get some of them healthy in time for fall camp.

Then you throw in the fact that Louisville has had a handful of depth pieces enter the portal, especially on the edges, and the Cardinals are another injury or two away from being in real trouble on the defensive front. They don't need a starting caliber lineman per se, but getting one or two depth pieces in for health reasons could be vital.

(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Matt Stone - The Courier Journal / USA)

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