Louisville Safety Blake Ruffin to Enter Transfer Portal

The Louisville native spent a pair of seasons with the Cardinals after transferring from Eastern Illinois.

Oct 17, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Louisville Cardinals safety Blake Ruffin (29) celebrates after winning the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville football safety Blake Ruffin plans to enter his name into the transfer portal, he announced Saturday on social media.

"Thank you for everything Card Nation.," he said on Twitter/X.

Meeks is one of 25 scholarship players for Louisville to announce his intentions to enter the portal in this cycle. Fortunately, the Cardinals have nearly gained all their losses, as they have secured 20 transfer commitments thus far. The 14-day transfer window officially opened up last Friday, and it is the only opportunity for players to enter following the removal of the spring window.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound defensive back spent the last two seasons with the Cardinals after transferring in from Eastern Illinois. However, Ruffin saw minimal playing time during that span. He redshirted the 2024 season due to injury, and while he played in all 13 games this past season, this was primarily on special teams. He finished the season with eight tackles (five solo) and a fumble recovery.

Prior to his time at Louisville, Ruffin was one of the best defensive backs at the FCS level. He started all 11 games in 2023 for EIU, snagging a league-best four interceptions, while logging the second-most tackles on the Panthers at 63, as well as 4.0 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and four pass breakups. He not only brought home First-Team All-Big South-OVC honors, but was also named a Second-Team AP FCS All-American.

The alum of Trinity High School saw a lot of playing time during his true freshman campaign in 2021. That season in 11 games and one start, Ruffin collected 31 tackles, two for loss and five pass breakups. He was forced to miss the entire 2022 season due to an injury suffered in fall camp.

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.

(Photo of Blake Ruffin: Sam Navarro - Imagn Images)

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