Louisville Football's Biggest Remaining 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.

Just past the halfway point of the month of January, the Cardinals have had 18 scholarship players enter the portal since the end of the 2023 regular season, ranging from potential starters to strictly role players.

While, in theory, there could still be more players that decide to depart the program, Louisville is starting to have some semblance as to who they will actually have returning for the 2024 season. The 30-day transfer portal window closed earlier this month, and the deadline to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft has passed.

On the other side of that coin, head coach Jeff Brohm and his coaching staff has done an amazing job at bringing in talent via the portal. So far, 24 transfers have committed to Louisville, and many of them have the potential to be high-impact playmakers from day one.

As of Jan. 17, the Cardinals are currently at a 87-man scholarship roster - just over the designated 85-man limit. While Louisville is over the limit, roster movement both in and out ahead of the 2024 season is far from over. There will be another window from April 16 to April 30 following spring practices in which players can enter the transfer portal without penalty, on top of the plethora of uncommitted players still in the portal.

The staff is certainly still recruiting out of the high school ranks, but most of Louisville's future additions for the 2024 roster are very likely going to be D1 transfers.

What type of players should Louisville look for in the portal? Here are their three biggest current roster needs:

Defensive End

As the roster is currently constructed, Louisville's defensive line - and front seven in general - could be shaping up to be the strength of that side of the ball. Their one-two starting punch on the edges figures to be a deadly one.

On one side, you have an All-American in Ashton Gillotte, who will enter 2024 as one of the top defensive linemen in all of college football. On the other, Mason Reiger - who has been a key reserve for the Cardinals for the last few seasons - will finally get his chance to start.

While Louisville's starting edge rushers will arguably be the best in the ACC next season, there is not a lot of experienced depth at defensive end. Of the five other scholarship defensive ends on the roster, only Adonijah Green has any in-game experience, and it was just 12 snaps.

In theory, returners R.J. Sorenson and Micah Carter, or even true freshmen Maurice Davis and Xavier Porter, could step up and answer the call. But if Louisville wants to have a complete defensive line, they'll very likely need pick up a go-to edge rusher off the bench through the portal.

Cornerback

This position for Louisville is actually in a very similar situation that defensive end is. The Cardinals' starting cornerback duo has the potential to be one of the best in the ACC.

For starters, they bring back Quincy Riley, who was already one of the best defensive backs in the league and a legit NFL prospect. Then UofL added UCF's Corey Thornton to the mix, and he brings a good mix of size an experience to the table. Even their nickel set with Tennessee's Tamarion McDonald or UNC's Tayon Holloway could give opposing quarterbacks fits.

But after that grouping, the overall experience and production drops off a bit. Trey Franklin hasn't seen consistent playing time since 2021, Marcus Washington hasn't seen much playing time period, Aaron Williams is coming off of an ACL injury, and Rae'mon Mosby will be a true freshman.

In this pass-happy day and age of football, you can never truly have enough defensive backs. While Louisville's starting group of cornerbacks will be a stingy unit, it wouldn't hurt to try and find another experienced or productive corner.

Wide Receiver

I'll preface this by saying that Louisville has already done a really good job of overhauling their wide receiver room. They're bringing in three quality transfers in Alabama's Ja'Corey Brooks, South Alabama's Caullin Lacy and Tuskegee's Antonio Meeks, plus their two true freshmen in Joseph Stone Jr. and Shaun Boykins Jr. have high upside.

But, one can't help but wonder if the position needs to continue to be overhauled to the point where Louisville flips nearly the entire position. After all, it's hard to ignore how the receiving corps outside of Jamari Thrash struggled to generate separation with consistency.

Of the five scholarship returners, the only wideout I feel could significantly contribute in 2024 is Chris Bell. Both Jadon Thompson and Jimmy Calloway were slight disappointments last season, and I wouldn't be shocked if either entered the portal after spring. Cataurus Hicks had a couple nice plays in the limited time he saw, and we still haven't seen Jahlil McClain.

While quarterback Jack Plummer had a big role in the passing game's inconsistent play, the wide receivers played just as big of a role. it's just not as noticeable. Adding more wideouts might not be at the top of Louisville's list, but it's a sport where they could benefit by adding more.

(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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